Caught In Reverie
by Cyhtny
Summary: Ten years ago, during the Heartless’ attack on Radiant Garden Cloud was separated from the others, and what followed would eventually tear away every bit of light that once existed within his heart.
1. Chapter I

**A/N:** I thought this would be a good time to upload my first story. You know, about 3 years after I joined this site (yeah, I know, isn't that pathetic). That's not to say I haven't been writing things during that time, though, I just haven't posted anything. But enough about me, how did I come up with this idea for a story? Well, I mainly thought it was a good idea because it's uncharted territory, and probably always will be since the FF characters are only guests in the games and won't have their back story explained. I will mostly focus on Cloud, but I suspect most chapters will have parts with the others too (just sticking to Cloud will get boring in the long run).

You may not believe this, but it took me almost a year to finish this chapter. Mainly due to the fact that I lost inspiration on a number of occasions. I'm hoping to avoid that in the future.

Just one last thing about the time line. You know this takes place 10 years before KHII (which according to KH is when Radiant Garden was attacked), so Cloud is 13, Yuffie's 7 and Leon 16 (he's referred to as Squall in the opening chapters for plot reasons, though). I didn't know how old Aerith is but I assume she's one year older than Cloud like in FFVII, so she's 14. I don't think Cid's age really matter (he's 33, btw). Also Zack's in this story for like 2 chapters, in other words he's not exactly important to the plot. I think most people know who he is, but if you don't because you've never been close to anything FFVII related it doesn't really matter. As I said he's not that important. I also think Aerith may be a bit OOC, but that might be because I'm not too fond of her personality.

Wow, this almost became longer than the actual chapter. I think I should stop now.

**Disclaimer:** Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and whatever else I might end up using don't belong to me in any way, shape or form. Trust me, if it did things would be very different - or just more violent, I don't know.

* * *

**Caught In Reverie**

**Chapter I**

The strong wind swept through the darkened streets, bringing dust and smaller objects with it. It all brushed passed the group of people standing on a height looking down at a city in disarray and destruction. A shield was protecting them, one that was weakening as the one who summoned it lost her strength.

The summoner was a fourteen-year-old girl named Aerith. Her jade eyes were focused and all her energy was put into protecting the ones around her. Her dress held rips and dirt and small cuts were visible on her face and arms. Beside her stood a small girl with short black hair, she wasn't hurt but her face was pale and her hands were cautiously pulling Aerith's torn dress.

"When is…"

"Not now!" Aerith had not meant to yell, but she couldn't talk right now. If she lost concentration they would be done for. She had not trained for things like this and all her energy seemed drained. But they could not leave without him, so she would hold on until he returned. Hopefully someone else would be with him as well.

Everything had happened so quickly. Aerith did not know where those creatures had come from, only that they suddenly appeared in large numbers and slaughtered everyone they could get their hands on. She did not know if there were any survivors other than her, Yuffie, Cid, and Squall. Actually she did not know if Squall was alive, since he was the one who had run back into town to look for survivors, perhaps he was dead now.

They were not completely past all hope, though. Cid had means of getting them out of there. He had a ship (1), a replica he had made from one belonging to an outer-worldly visitor a while ago, and if he had done things right, which he usually did, they could escape to safety in another world. Or at least they would have if it wasn't for Squall's last minute rescue mission.

But no, she could not let worry take over; it would only be a few more minutes.

Aerith did not even see Squall returning, she was too caught up in her protection duties, but when she did notice his presence she knew he had come back alone.

"Where are the others?" she heard Yuffie yell from just below her shoulder.

Squall panted and shook his head. Aerith felt Yuffie grip her dress even tighter.

"I… I just need some more time."

"You want us all dead?! Aerith'll collapse any minute", Cid yelled behind her. He was right: soon she would not even be able to stand. "We don't have anymore time."

"But…"

"No buts!" she felt the air around her shift slightly, as Cid went to pull Squall along and take him to the ship. "This isn't the time to play hero!"

At that very moment pain ripped through Aerith's body and the shield broke and she fell to her knees. Yuffie yelped and tugged at her dress, possibly an attempt to make her stand up again, but it was futile.

Aerith tried to raise the shield again, but no energy slipped through her fingertips – there was nothing left. She felt someone lift her up and carry her away. She heard concerned words and noises of different kind but she could not make out any of it, but something told her that she was safe and was leaving her own world behind.

* * *

Cloud ran. Even though he was exhausted he knew he could not stop. Stopping meant death.

He had ran for what felt to him like an eternity, clinging to the hope that Zack actually knew where they were going and that they would get there in time. Cloud trusted his friend more than anything and was sure that he knew what he was doing, but he was still worried. It was not Zack's fault, and Cloud knew that expressing his worry would only make things worse.

His thoughts went to everyone else. His family and his friends; were they still alive? Or had they all been killed by those black creatures with the glowing eyes. No, they were alright, they had to be.

Zack led him into an alleyway, striking as many of the creatures with his sword as he could, then down some stone steps into a small area where the ground was covered with a layer of old leaves and dirt. After making sure nothing could see them he reached for a handle on the ground and opened the hatch that had been hidden there. He took Cloud with him down through it and closed the it as fast as he could.

The space underneath was dark, save for the few cracks of light where the hatch was, and smelt like decomposed earth. It seemed to magnify sound and Cloud's breathing now sounded much louder than outside, so much so that Zack pulled him close to his chest to stifle it.

"Just... wait a while, okay?" he mumbled, barely audible with his face buried in his friend's golden spikes in order to keep himself as silent as possible.

They waited, sitting as still as they could, listening to the sound above them. Nothing came after them and the tapping of clawed feet against stone soon faded away. But that did not mean anything, only that they had temporarily escaped danger. Zack let go of Cloud, as both of them were now breathing more normally.

"Where are we?" Cloud whispered, not daring to make more sound than necessary. He felt Zack take his hand in the darkness and lead him along.

Their progress was slow due to the limited visibility. Even after a few minutes Cloud's eyes had only adjusted themselves enough for him to barely see the outline of his friend in front of him. He did not ask where they were again or where they were going, as he figured it was best to not disturb Zack at the moment. He also did not want to attract anything unwanted.

When Cloud noticed that water was seeping through his shoes, Zack stopped. Cloud did not immediately notice this and almost walked into him. The surroundings were still gloomy, but at least the gray walls were visible so that they no longer needed to feel their way forward. The ground was covered in water that reached just above Cloud's toes and it smelt strangely clean for such a murky place.

"Where are we?" Cloud asked again, a bit louder this time.

"The waterways under the castle, I don't think they'll come here", Zack responded and made a weak attempt to smile. It was obvious that he didn't believe they were safe yet either. "I don't think they like water (2)."

_You think_, well that wasn't very reassuring, but it was better than nothing and the place did look deserted, there wasn't a living thing in sight. But then again, were those things alive? Cloud shuddered at the thought; he did not want to know whether that was true or not.

He followed Zack until the other found a dry spot, or at least as dry as things could be in this place, and sat down. Cloud sat down beside him and immediately felt moisture seep into the parts of him clothes that were exposed to the ground. He sighed and wrapped his arms around his legs. He had not noticed how cold it was until now and the water was definitely not helping the matter.

"We won't stay here for long, I promise", Zack said and smiled at him. Cloud knew he had probably tried to make the smile look comforting, but to him it was just depressing.

"You think the others are okay?" Cloud mumbled while watching the puddle of water that was spreading on the floor a few feet away from him.

"Yeah, of course they are", was the response, so confident that Cloud almost wanted to believe him.

They sat in silence after that. For how long, Cloud did not know, but it felt like it must have been a few hours. It was impossible to tell since the underground tunnel did not let any of the sky's light in. During that time his clothes had started to feel as though he had just jumped into a lake and he was even colder than before, but regardless of how unpleasant that was, there seemed to be no way for him to dry his clothes in this place so he did not even try to.

"Cold?" Zack finally broke the silence and looked back at the blond who trembled slightly. His voice sounded helpful and calm as if Cloud being cold were their only problem and that they had not just barely escaped with their lives. It would be so easy to pretend that was true.

"Mm", Cloud replied and nodded slightly.

Zack smiled softly at him and wrapped an arm around the blond and pulled him a little closer. "Better?"

"No", Cloud mumbled, which was the truth, Zack was just as wet as he was so coming in contact with him did not make things any warmer.

Zack sighed. "Guess I'm cold too, huh?"

"Probably."

Cloud half-expected Zack to have some sort of comeback line to his somewhat gloomy comment, something that would lighten the mood and make their situation feel less dire, but none came. Instead he heard the other sigh in a way he didn't know Zack was capable of. It was _that_ bad, wasn't it?

Cloud rested his head on Zack's shoulder, perhaps he could sleep. Yeah, sleep would make the cold go away.

* * *

(1)_ Cid do have a gummi ship that he made himself, it's confirmed in the journal in KH. I mean, he has to have one, how else would he know about those special gummi blocks?_

(2)_ This is probably a result of me reading too many of Garth Nix's books (all the enemies tend to be weak to water for some reason), but also because there wasn't that many Heartless there in the game (if I remember correctly). Let's just say that Heartless not made for being in water (like the ones in Atlantica) doesn't like it, at least in this story._

So there's chapter 1. It's kinda short and there is not much of a plot yet. I probably should've called it a prologue instead, but I think it works this way too. Although, every time I read this chapter I found things I wanted to change, so this will probably receive some small revisions in the future, but for now it stays the way it is.

Chapter 2 will be longer (I think) and hopefully it won't take another year to finish. It's about 50% finished already, so I don't think so.


	2. Chapter II

**A/N: **I knew this wouldn't take a year. This is some sort or record for me. Anyways, I've realized something, I'm writing two stories at once. Yeah, that's how it is at the moment, but I'm sure both of them will tie up in the end at some point (if I ever get that far). As I said before, this chapter is longer. I think the way I split it up is a little awkward, the last part could have been its own individual chapter, I guess. This was how I wanted to end it, though. Oh, did I mention that I really hate my summary, I just wrote that because I needed one. I'll probably change it when I come up with something better. By the way does anyone know why I'm writing things from Aerith's perspective when I don't like her? Because I don't.

* * *

**Chapter II**

The sky was beautiful. It really was. Stars that all glimmered in different colors sprinkled it, clouds of dust glittered like gold, and the sky itself was in a constant state of changing. It held a strange ethereal beauty, and looked nothing like it did from the ground. Yuffie sat by the window, watching it with a delighted expression on her face. It had taken her hours before she stopped fidgeting and asking about the people that were not with them.

Yet, she could not be completely at peace, Aerith thought. She herself was not. Even though the other girl was half her age her worry could not just have disappeared. It was more likely that she had given up when no one wanted to give her proper answers. Truth to be told, none of them knew the answers. What had happen to their families and friends? What were those things that attacked them? Where were they going?

Aerith had tried answering Yuffie's questions, but the thought of telling the girl that almost everyone she knew had most likely died was too horrible, so her answers had become evasive, leaving the girl with little to no knowledge about the events. Some questions she had answered truthfully, though. Mainly because the answer to them was that she did not know. She did not know what those creatures were, and only Cid knew where they were going, and the only thing they got out of him was that he "knew a place".

Squall had hardly said a word during their flight. The only thing he had done was wiping blood off his face with a cloth, which revealed that he had a large diagonal between his eyes, and make disapproving grunts whenever Aerith answered one of Yuffie's questions with a vague, indefinable answer. His face showed little emotion, but Aerith thought she saw a faint sign of anger and sadness in his eyes.

"Are we going to one of those stars?" Yuffie asked turning from the window to Cid in the pilot seat.

Cid shifted a little in his seat. "Somethin' like that."

Yuffie's face lit up in a smile and she turned back to look at Aerith. "You hear that! We're going to a star!"

Aerith smiled as Yuffie proceeded to tell Squall the good news as well. His response was not that energetic, as he only gave her a short glance and then looked in the other direction, resuming his attempt to ignore everything around him. Yuffie swung back into her seat and crossed her arms in clear disapproval of that reaction.

"It wasn't your fault, you know", Aerith told Squall, but he did not as much as flinch at her words. She thought that he must feel guilty for not being able to save anyone. She would too if it was her in that situation. "You did your best."

Squall snorted and looked out the window. "And now they're dead."

It was said in such an unemotional way that Aerith felt as if the only good thing to do was to slap him and hope that he got his senses back that way. "Don't say that! You don't know if that's true!"

"Face it! They probably are and I know you think so too, no matter what lies you're trying to tell her", Squall pointed at Yuffie, who shrunk back in her seat, her eyes wide with terror.

"Hey, no arguin' in my ship", Cid shouted but did not turn around to look at the two. "You can do that when get there."

"Yeah, don't talk about people dying", Yuffie's voice was broken and tears glimmered in the corner of her eyes. Squall stopped midway through a retort planned for Cid and looked at her. "Aerith said they're alright, so don't say they're dead."

"Yuffie…"

* * *

"Cloud?"

Cloud felt someone lightly shake him as he opened his eyes. While sleep had indeed taken the cold away, awakening brought it back along with his body feeling stiff due to the long time he had been sitting on the cold stone floor. Zack was still beside him, one hand on his shoulder. He looked concerned and strands of his black hair were slicked to his face with water.

"Sorry for waking you up, but there's something I must do", Cloud blinked a few to times. Something he had to do? As in, he had to leave? "It wouldn't be right if you woke up and found me gone."

"You… you're going somewhere?" Cloud stared at him. Being alone was not something he liked, especially in a place like this with the threat of those creatures looming just above the stone ceiling. At least with Zack things had not felt so frightening, so the thought of him leaving was terrifying.

"Yeah, but I'll be back, I promise", Zack patted the blond lightly on his left shoulder and stood up.

"Why do you have to go?" Cloud asked, not moving from his spot on the ground.

"We can't survive by just sitting here", Zack replied. "I'm going back to town to see I can anything for us to eat. It won't take long."

Cloud scrambled to his feet and grabbed his friend's arm. "I'm coming with you!"

"No, you're not", Zack said calmly and pried Clouds fingers off his arm. He did not use much force, but Cloud felt sting of hurt strike his heart as it happened. Did Zack really think he was _that_ useless? "You'll be safer here."

"So would you!"

Zack sighed and placed his hands on the blonde boy's shoulders. "Look, Cloud. I don't want anything bad to happen to you…"

"I don't want anything bad to happen to _you!_" Cloud yelled. He was scared and almost felt like crying. How could Zack even think of leaving him alone here?

"Please, this for the best", Zack said softly.

Cloud lowered his head in shame. Despite how upset he was, he realized that what Zack had said made sense. He did not have a weapon and could not fight as well as the other. If they got into trouble, he would only be in the way and slow Zack down. Yes, it all made sense.

"I understand", the blond finally said, sighing in defeat.

"Wait here, okay?" Zack ruffled the blonde spikes of Cloud's hair affectionately before picking up his sword, which was propped against the stone wall beside the place where he had been sitting, and leaving the other boy alone in the desolate waterway.

As Zack's footsteps faded away, Cloud curled up against the wall again. He had never felt so worthless before.

* * *

Yuffie had fallen asleep when ship finally landed. Her mouth was slightly open and she almost fell off her seat from the way she was leaning. Aerith went over and shook her lightly. Yuffie blinked and watched the other girl with a puzzled look on her face.

"It's time to go", Aerith said softly. All traces of drowsiness disappeared from the little girl's face as she did.

"You mean we're at the star?" she cheered ecstatically and practically jumped out of her seat. "I wanna see it!"

"Well, you can't see it from here."

Yuffie nodded and ran for the exit. Aerith followed her at a slower pace, wondering briefly, what the black haired girl would think of her "star". Yuffie seemed to accept things so easily and looked as if she was completely without worries. Was that because at her young age she could not comprehend what had happened? She was mad at herself for not being able to tell the younger girl the truth. Then again, how does one explain such things? Squall probably thought that saying it straight out was the best approach, but she doubted it was a good idea. However, it might be to only way for Yuffie to know the truth.

The "star" was not a glowing ball of fire or some kind of shining crystal palace _(1)_, but a town caught beneath a starry night sky. It had a pleasant air to it and streetlights glowed warmly in the small square they had entered. Men and women standing within it turned to look at them. Aerith could not help feeling a bit exposed to these looks. Normally, she was sure it would not have bothered her, but now, being the center of everyone's attention felt a bit unnerving.

Yuffie seemed disappointed; this obviously was not what she expected a star to look like. "It looks just like home", she said.

"Well, everything's not the way you expect it. Better learn that early, kid", Cid told her; only to receive the girl's pouting face in return.

A woman came over to them, concern written on her face. "Are you refugees?" she asked.

Aerith's eyes widened slightly at this, not knowing at first how this woman knew about their situation. However, when she thought about it, their battered clothing and all the cuts on their arms and faces could give one that idea.

She nodded. "Our…" she was not entirely sure what to say. Did these people know about the multiple worlds? She herself had only realized it a few hours ago. How did one go about explain such a thing?

"Our world was attacked; we had no choice but to come here", Squall finished for her. He seemed very determined, unlike before, where he appeared to have stopped caring altogether.

"Yeah, by things with these large yellow eyes", Yuffie filled in, and made circle shapes in front her own eyes with her thumbs and index fingers.

The small crowd of people in front of them almost immediately began to discuss this new revelation, but the woman who had first approached them stayed put.

"That sounds awful", she said. "But you can explain everything once we get you to place to stay for the night."

A wave of gratitude washed over Aerith, and she and the others followed the woman as she lead them into the town.

* * *

Cloud hated it. He absolutely despised the place. It was cold, wet, and uncomfortable. He had barely gotten any sleep and he was constantly hungry. If this was how the rest of his life would be, being torn apart by those creatures did not seem so bad.

It had been three days, Zack's estimation from the times he had been to the city, and everything was just as awful as it had been when they first arrived. Cloud knew that he should not envy Zack for his trips to city, as he never came back without a few scratches, but how much fun could he have staring at a stone wall all day? As grateful as he was for Zack's help, he wished he could contribute with something instead of just being a burden for his friend to take care of.

He passed the time by pacing across a section of the tunnel or by doing the menial and useless task of picking up rocks and throwing them at the opposite wall. It was by no means enjoyable, but was the only thing that stopped him from succumbing to worry and frustration.

However, none of these activities could erase the unwelcome anger he felt towards his friend. It had been insignificant at first, but the feeling had steadily grown until it was almost unbearable. He hated the way Zack treated him, as if he was a child, incapable of taking care of himself. Granted, Zack was older than he was, but not by much, so there was no reason for him to talk to Cloud as if he was five. More than anything Cloud wanted to prove him wrong, but he could prove nothing by staying where he was.

The only solution appeared to be to follow Zack shortly after he had left, so that the other would not know what he had done. If he were spotted, he would surely be dragged back and scolded for his so-called ignorance. He knew it would be dangerous, he had seen what those creatures had done and did not know to defend himself if he encountered them. But he could avoid them just as well; it should not be too hard.

Water splashed around his feet as he walked through the tunnel. He could not remember the exact path both of them had taken when they first got there, but since his surroundings grew progressively darker, he was certain that he must have gone the right way. He clutched the metal pole he had picked up from the floor a short while ago. It was in no way a proper weapon, he probably would not be able to kill any of those creatures with it, but he believed it would be enough to daze them and allow him enough time to escape.

Upon reaching the place from which they had once entered the underground waterway, highlighted by a square of light just above his head, Cloud found himself almost regretting his decision to come there. Zack would not be pleased, but on the other hand was it not because he had stopped caring what Zack thought he had come here in the first place?

Careful not to make any sound Cloud pushed the hatch open, it still made noise despite his efforts, though. He shoved the pole in front him on the ground above before climbing up.

The sun was setting. The sky was streaked with the red and amber light of the sun and clouds were tinted pink. Cloud stood dumbfounded for a moment, it felt like he had not seen the sky in ages. Once he got back to his senses, he realized the town itself was in a pretty bad state. Buildings lay crumbled everywhere and most of the streets had been torn up, as if they had suffered some kind of explosion. It seemed unlikely that the creatures where the sole reason behind all this, but Cloud had no idea what else could have contributed to the destruction.

Speaking of the creatures, they were nowhere to be found, the streets where vacant of any kind of life. Maybe, Cloud thought hopefully, they had left and would not come back. He glanced at the metal pole that lay on the ground a few feet away from him. Now he felt stupid for taking it with him. It was not a weapon and it was quite heavy, so any advantage he could have gotten from dazing the enemy would be lost due to his reduced movement speed. For that reason, he left it on the ground and headed further away from the one safe place he knew of.

His first instinct was to find Zack. The other would not be happy when he saw him, but Cloud did not think running aimlessly around town was a good idea either. Although he could see none of the black creatures, they could be in hiding somewhere, and if he just wandered around, he would be an easy target. Then again, what if Zack had been lying, what if there nothing here and he had just pretended that it was dangerous. But Zack wasn't like that, was he? Despite everything Cloud knew about his friend, he could not be sure. As contradicting as it was for him to act like that, the blond could not make the feeling go away.

Trying to ignore this, Cloud made his way through the town, on high alert for any sound that could be a sign of someone or something else moving. Several paths were blocked by rubble, and while he believed he could climb them to the other side it would take too much time, so whenever he encountered them he quickly darted in a different direction. The paths he could take followed an irregular pattern, sometimes leading to dead ends, and Cloud only had a vague idea of where he was. Everything looked different now, not by much, but enough to confuse him. He could not even find the place where he had lived. Perhaps he really was useless.

As he was on the verge of giving up completely, and figured he would have better luck trying to find his way back, he heard something. He immediately froze on the spot. It was a faint sound of something being moved, but it was impossible to tell what had made it. Cloud was torn between whether he should move closer to it or run away. Running away was definitely the safer option, but that would make the whole journey pointless. Perhaps he could just peek around the corner and hope that whatever it was did not notice him. If it were something dangerous, he would still have time to escape.

The sound did not stop, but it was still difficult to determine its exact location. Cloud did his best and eventually found that it came from an abandoned house. The wooden door that had once been attached to it lay shattered on the ground, as if someone had blown it off its hinges. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping that it would calm himself down, and looked through the opening.

Relief washed over him when he saw that only one inside was Zack. He could not believe his luck. Of all the things he could have encountered it was his friend standing there scouring every part of the house. Cloud was not sure what exactly he was looking for, but it did not matter. He did not make his presence known at first, not sure how to approach Zack without making the other angry. He would be regardless, he figured, and went over to him.

As his feet touched the floor the reaction was immediate, so sudden that Cloud jumped back and fell to the floor. He was glad that he had or else Zack's sword might have sliced him in half. The other had acted on reflex, and the blade pointed straight at him now.

"Cloud?" Zack stared at the blond in disbelief. "What are you doing here?

Cloud did not respond. Now that he thought about it, the main reason he had gone out was boredom. He doubted Zack would take kindly to that excuse after he had promised to stay put.

"Didn't I tell you to stay?"

Cloud nodded and kept his eyes on the floor. He was not sure what to say, part of him wanted to shout and tell Zack how he felt about the situation, and another just wanted to go back and forget about the whole thing.

"Why didn't you do as I told you, it's dangerous here."

Those words cut deeper than Cloud had anticipated. The anger he had felt before flared up again, and got to his feet again.

"There's nothing here", he said and stared at the other without breaking eye contact with him. "It's not dangerous."

What happened next was so sudden and unexpected, that Cloud almost lost his balance again. Zack had slapped him, not hard but enough to make his cheek sting.

"There's nothing here now!" as Zack said that, Cloud was sure he would be slapped again, but it did not happen. Regardless, he had never seen him so angry before. "What's wrong with you? Don't you think I have reason for keeping you away from this place?"

"I…"

"Go back", Zack said sharply as he pointed to the doorway from which they had both entered.

"But…"

"Cloud, I don't have time to talk about this", he grabbed Cloud's shoulders quite firmly and made sure the blonde looked at him. "You have to go, or they'll find…"

The sentence never finished, and Cloud felt something warm hit his face. He briefly saw the pair of dark claws which had ran through his friend's chest and neck, before he seemingly vanished in a strange light, leaving nothing but a few blood stains floor. Cloud had seen the process before, but never this close and never to someone he had known.

The creatures gathered up in front of him, the one that had just killed left bloody marks on the floor and as Cloud noticed this he ran without a second thought.

He could not run far though. He did not know where he was going. Where was there to run to? It was as if despair had just shot down on him from the sky like a bolt of lightning, and he could not run anymore. He curled up in a street corner and reality finally sank in. He was alone, completely, utterly alone. There was no one to help him, no one to comfort him or tell him everything would be all right, and it was all his fault. It hurt so much that pain overflowed within him. He would do anything to make it stop.

* * *

_(1) If you didn't get why I wrote that, I figured that that was what Aerith thought Yuffie would think a star was, if that makes any sense._

Yeah, so I killed him. Like you didn't see that one coming, I said he wasn't important. Also, I had to get rid of him somehow, since he's not actually in the KH games. I think I have to make up for this somehow, though (maybe later). I do like making the Heartless more violent than they really are. I mean they have claws so they should use them. I don't think I got the end completely right. Zack's a little OOC, but I did that on purpose.


	3. Chapter III

**AN: **So, chapter 3. This is the chapter were I start taking some liberties with the source material (I probably already have, but this is more obvious, I think). I did it mainly because I thought explanation in KH was a little too vague (or just too simple). You know how in the game they say Sephiroth in the dark part of Cloud's heart (or something like that), I think I thought way too much about how that works. What I eventually came up is kinda weird, but I like the concept, even if it is a bit strange.

Personally I found this chapter really hard to write. I don't know why, but I found that a lot of things dragged on longer than they should've. That might have only been when I was writing, though. Also, I almost the decided to remove parts of, specifically the parts about Sephiroth, in order keep things secret. In the end I decided to keep them. After all, you already know he'll turn out to be an evil bastard, so why hide it. I might as well explain what the hell's going on. Another reason is that those parts were the easiest ones to write, so it didn't feel right to just delete them.

* * *

**Chapter III**

Darkness was a funny thing. It rarely followed any specific rules and constantly changed its properties. It was quite unpredictable. Because of this, it had its fair share of anomalies. Sephiroth would know, since he was one of them. He was not sure if what he was had a name or even there were more like him. It was an amusing thought, to think he was the only one.

If he explained what he did, he supposed people would consider him a parasite, a form of life that needed to take advantage of others to stay alive. That was not entirely true. For one, he could not die, at least not in any way he knew of. He could only lose the bond he had and in turn lose his physical form. Losing a bond was unpleasant and finding and building a new one was hard work. However, the alternative of staying in the realm of darkness was far too dull for him. The issue was always finding people weak enough to tie himself to without resistance. This task was usually easier during the aftermath of a great disaster, but finding one of these were a different matter altogether due to the copious amounts of worlds. Sephiroth had too many memories of scouring worlds in his non-physical form only to end up with nothing for him to count.

Once he had created that bond, he had to maintain it, sometimes for years. It was a tedious balancing act where he had to be present and make sure that the light and darkness within his host's heart did not change too much. Otherwise, it may find what his presence was doing to it.

As far as he knew, a finished bond was unbreakable. He could leave and keep his physical form until the host died. Then he had to start the process over again. At least, that was the theory. The problem was that Sephiroth always had difficulty leaving his host alone. Not out of affection for it, but for the mental connection the bond brought with it. Sephiroth could always hear the surface thoughts of his hosts, and once the bond strengthened, he could dive even deeper. It was useful when forming the bond, but worthless when he had finished it. Whenever he left, he could still hear, see and feel those thoughts and feelings, and was unable to block them out. It had sometimes almost driven him to kill the host, only the reminder of what he had done to get to that point and his own resolve had stopped him.

The Heartless were to blame for much of his trouble. While they were considerably weaker than he was, they had an extraordinary ability to track down hearts, especially those that contained more darkness than light, an ability Sephiroth lacked. They were not much of a problem when he had a host, since the connection made them immune to them, but when trying to find one, they were a pain. Fortunately, there were never many Heartless – at least there used to be. For some reason, the world he had previously visited had such a large amount of the creatures that almost the entire population had been wiped out.

_Almost, _he mused. He supposed he too could be lucky sometimes.

* * *

Light flittered through his closed eyelids, warm and golden. Was it morning? Cloud did not open his eyes, hoping to stay blissful state of believing that everything before had been a dream, that he was at home, safe from anything that would want to hurt him. As soon as he opened his eyes, he would be on that street surrounded by collapsed buildings again.

But, it did not feel like there was stone underneath him. Perhaps he was imagining it, but it was soft, like the mattress of a bed. There was something covering him too. Maybe he really was home.

An auburn ceiling met him when he finally opened his eyes. His mood quickly sank; there were not many houses made entirely of wood in Radiant Garden(1), but this one clearly was. That meant he was not at home; it had really happened. He pushed the thought back and sat up.

The room he was in quite large, not only containing the bed he had slept in, but also a couch and an olive carpet. There was a small table by the bed and chair was positioned beside it. The walls and floor were made of the same wood as the ceiling, and a Cloud could see a stairway going down to a floor below, proving that he was on the second floor or higher.

The light from before had come from the room's only window, which was behind him. Cloud flipped over in the bed so that he was facing it and looked outside. Snow had gathered on the windowsill and a white landscape spread out before him. There were not many houses, but all of their roofs were covered in deep layers of snow. From that alone, he knew he was not anywhere near the Garden. So where was he, and more importantly, how did he get there?

Cloud could not ponder this for a long time before he heard footsteps behind him. He slipped back under the cover, but positioned himself so that he could still see the room.

The person emerging from the stairway was a woman. She abruptly stopped on top of it. Cloud knew that she must have noticed him. She went over to the bed and sat down on the chair beside it.

"It's good to see you're awake", she said softly. Cloud peered over the rim of the cover to look at her more closely. Her faced was lined and sand colored hair had few grey streaks in it. She wore a long, sea green dress, which had a few yellow stripes in it. However, the most notable thing about her appearance was the two wings that sprung from her back. They were very small and Cloud doubted they could be used for flight. Perhaps they were decoration, he thought, but he could not understand why a grown woman would wear something like that. She did look friendly enough, though, so he let the cover fall down.

"How long did I sleep?" he asked hesitantly. He was still confused and the best thing would be trying to get as much information as possible.

"For about a day since you came here", she said and smiled. "You're lucky he found you. Most people don't care for the unblessed."

"Un… blessed?" Cloud repeated. He had never heard the term before and it was certainly not something he associated with himself. What was it that this woman meant he was not blessed with?

The woman looked at him in skeptically. "You are from the Lower City, aren't you?"

Cloud shook his head. He would have known that, and he was sure there was no "higher" city in Radiant Garden.

The woman sighed. "He wasn't lying then", she mumbled. This made Cloud even more confused. Who was "he"?

"My name is Certhe(2)", she finally said, turning back to Cloud. "What's your name?"

"Cloud. Who is 'he'?" he quickly added.

Certhe just smiled. "You can meet him later. I think there are more important things to take care of. You must be hungry. You haven't eaten in a day after all. I'll go get you something."

Cloud was going to protest, but realized she was right and stopped himself. He was hungry, just like the last few days when… he pushed that thought as far back in his mind as possible. He could not think about that right now.

He did not agree with Certhe what the most important thing was. He would have preferred information instead of food, but he supposed he should be happy that she cared for him. He still wanted to know where he was, though. From want he could gather, someone had brought him here, but who that someone was was still a mystery. Cloud tried to focus, but he could remember nothing after he had ended up in that street corner, nothing to give him any clue to what had happened. Had he passed out? If so, why? Was he really so weak that he could not stand a bit of mental anguish?

The thought of what that mental anguish had been etched itself to the front of his mind and could not push it back anymore. Guilt spread within him like poison, and he could not hold back the tears anymore. They ran down his cheeks so hot that he was sure they burned him. He was all right, but to what price? Everyone was dead. Even if they were not, he knew that he would never see them again. It was his fault that Zack was dead, and while that was the only death that could be directly blamed on him, it did not make things better. If he had not been so stupid, if he had just listened, none of it would have happened.

He wept silently, his sobs escaping as short gasps. He almost did not feel the hand that was placed on his shoulder. He looked up while attempting to wipe tears from his eyes with his right hand. He must look pathetic, breaking down like this.

Certhe watched him with a concerned look on her face, but she said nothing. She removed her hand as Cloud managed to stop his cries. If he were the only survivor he had to stay strong, nothing would come out of him crying like this.

"Perhaps this isn't such a good time", the woman said, and Cloud heard something being put down on the bedside table. In the corner of his eye he could that it was a small bowl decorated with blue flowers, probably the food Certhe had promised to bring earlier. "Tomorrow may be better…"

"No", Cloud said, trying to make his voice sound as normal as possible, but it betrayed him and sounded quite tearful. "I'm fine."

"It doesn't look that way, but…" Certhe smiled. "… I believe you. Besides, I've already told Sephiroth that you're awake. He wishes to speak with you as soon as possible."

"Sephiroth?" This must be the "he" she had mentioned before.

"Yes, he was the one who brought you here. We've met before, calls this place his 'safe haven', a bit ironic."

"What is?" Cloud asked.

Certhe smiled softly. "This city is called Soaring Haven(3), that's why."

Cloud lowered his gaze. He had never heard the name before, so what had happened? It felt like he was in a different world or so far away from home that there was nothing he recognized anymore. If he was in a different world, did that mean everyone here had wings like Certhe?

The blonde woman gave him a puzzled look. "Is there anything that confuses you?"

"What is an unblessed?" Cloud asked after a moment's hesitation. For some reason he was sure the answer to that question would clear up a lot of things.

"I suppose I should have told you earlier", Certhe sighed and looked rather uncomfortable. "The unblessed are those without wings. You see, the Haven is made of several smaller floating isles. To get around one needs wings to fly between them. Since the unblessed can't, they are normally exiled to the world below."

Cloud shrank back into the bed. He did not like the sound of that at all. Even if he was not from this place, they might want to send him away anyway. Did Certhe?

"Don't worry", the woman said calmly, as she seemed to have noticed Cloud's reaction. "This is the Northern Rim. The people here don't hold as much prejudice towards the unblessed as the rest. Most of them are, like me, what we call partially blessed."

"Partially?" Cloud asked, as relief washed over him at the thought that he was not stuck in some hellhole where everyone hated him. Maybe that was something he deserved, though.

"I can't fly", Certhe shrugged and pair of small wings on her back flexed slightly. "People like me are usually sent to live here. It's better than exile."

"That still doesn't explain how I got here", Cloud mumbled and kept his eyes on the fabric of the bed cover. As much as he appreciated the information Certhe had given him, it was not the information he sought.

"Hm", Certhe looked puzzled. "I don't know that, but I'm sure Sephiroth could tell you. He's downstairs, you can come down when you are ready."

Cloud was about to get out the bed, eager to finally get all the answers, but Certhe simple placed a hand to his chest and gently pushed him back down.

"Not until you've eaten. I didn't bring food here for you to neglect it", she picked up the bowl from the bedside table. Cloud tried to protest, but Certhe continued to speak. "You have to think about your health. Once you are done, you can come down."

The woman handed him the bowl, the time it had spent on the table had cooled it down so it was not as hot against his fingers as Cloud had expected. She rose from her seat and went over to the stairway. Once at the top of it she turned back to him.

"I trust you."

* * *

Soaring Haven was truly a great place for him to lay low. There were not many places where one could blend in with a large black wing attached to one's back, but the Haven were one of them. Because of this Sephiroth had visited quite a few times when he had just formed a bond with a new host. He had met Certhe a few years ago, during the previous bond, one that had failed miserably, and gained the gullible woman's trust. She must believe him to be kind soul who saved people when they were in trouble. Well, he could give her partial credit for that.

Regardless, he was thankful that she had let him stay at her house until the newly formed bond was strong enough for him to conceal the wing. Which, in truth, was something he did not actually like, but at times, it was necessary, so the skill was useful.

He had to admit that he had felt a slight rush of excitement when the blonde woman had told that his new host was awake, even though she had not brought anything to his attention that he did not already know. The mental connection was already strong enough for him to sense simple things, as well as having access to some thoughts and memories. Sephiroth had already known that the boy's name was Cloud before Certhe had told him.

To tell the truth, he found him, as with all his previous hosts, quite intriguing. Humans were all so very different, they all needed a different approach. Cloud's thoughts were on a recent tragedy, his feelings fluctuating between sorrow and denial. In all honesty, he found it quite annoying. He wondered whether this was something he had to put up with as something of the blond's personality, or if it was only a temporary phase. None of this mattered at the moment, though. First, he had to get to know him, they would, after all, spend a lot of time together from now on.

* * *

Cloud ate quickly, so quickly that he, in fact, barely knew what he had eaten, or what it had tasted like. However, that was hardly his main concern. Part of wondered why he was so excited. There was no guarantee that something good would come out of what happened next, he could only hope. Another tried to stop him from breaking down and start crying again over the fact that this, whatever it was, was better than any of the food Zack had brought him during those three days. The memories tore at him; it took a lot to hold them back. While he knew that pushing them back would likely make it harder for him the time he had to face them, it felt like he could not afford to waste anymore time mourning. Surely, no one would want him to do that.

He finished eating, but left a lot of it the bowl. It seemed Certhe's trust had been misplaced. He immediately rushed to the stairway, but uncertainty struck him as he reached the top of it, the worst possible scenario flashing before him. What if this was all some kind of trick? What if he had only been treated with kindness in order to be lured into a false sense of security? He shut his eyes and swallowed. It took a few seconds for him to convince himself he was overreacting. Nothing bad would happen; he would only talk to someone. What harm could that bring?

He bent down to see as much of what was at the bottom of the stairway as possible. The was no door blocking the floor below, but Cloud could only see the wooden floor and something he thought was a desk in one of the corners. He realized he was stalling, he was not as sure of himself as he wanted to be.

Slowly and carefully, he placed his right foot on the step below, the following shortly after. He proceeded in doing this with every step, each one faster than the one preceding it, until he was at the bottom of the stair.

This floor was larger and lit up by bright sunlight that shone in from the window. Cloud hardly noticed that there was more furniture and that more ornaments of different kinds decorated the walls, because the only object of interest was what he thought was a wooden couch with a few cushions on top. This was not because it in itself was interesting, but because someone was sitting on it.

The blond had never given much thought of what the person who had brought him to Soaring Haven looked like, but he had not expected anything out of the ordinary, so it was surprising that the person in front of him had an appearance unlike any he had seen before. His hair was so long it spread out on the couch beneath him and in the sunlight it shimmered like silver. It contrasted the black clothes he was wearing just like his pale skin and green eyes. He had wings just like Certhe. Well, it looked like he had only one, consisting of a set of large coal black feathers. Cloud figured that this was the kind of person others would consider beautiful, and could not help feeling very plain in comparison with his unruly blonde hair and simple clothing.

The man did not seem to have noticed him and was looking straight ahead at the front door, as if he was expecting someone to walk through it at that very moment. Perhaps he wondered where Certhe was, because she was nowhere to be found. Cloud tried making a sound to get his attention, but it ended up resembling a cough more than anything else, as the blond was not sure if that was what he wanted. It was, however, too late for him to change his mind, as he was immediately noticed the second the sound left his lips and a cascade of silver hair fell across the man's shoulder as he turn to look at him.

"Um…" Cloud did not know what to say. Saying a thing like "hi" or any other kind of greeting seemed strangely inappropriate at the time. "Are you Sephiroth?" He finally asked, although he was positive that he already knew the answer to that.

"Certhe told you my name", he replied and smiled at him. Cloud was not sure whether to be relaxed or intimidated by it, as he felt a bit of both. "I suppose you have questions, or she did tell you everything?"

"Um… almost", Cloud said. He felt incredibly nervous and constantly tried to calm himself down without drawing any attention to the fact that he was doing so. "Where is she?"

"Outside", was the short answer. "You want to know how you got here, am I right?"

Cloud nodded, and wondered briefly whether Sephiroth could read minds, or if it was really that obvious that he had practically no idea of what was going on. "I don't remember anything about it."

"That happens sometimes", Sephiroth said. "Moving to another world drains your strength sometimes."

Cloud was not that surprised by this statement. After all, he had already considered the possibility. He stayed silent for a moment, before asking his next question. "Why?"

"Why what?" Sephiroth asked, but did not seem all that confused about it.

"Why did you take me here?" Cloud explained. "Why couldn't I stay?"

"I think you know why", Sephiroth said softly, and Cloud was sure he had heard him sigh. "It wasn't safe for you there."

"Because of…"

"… the Heartless, yes", Sephiroth finished for him.

"You know what they are? Tell me!" Cloud clenched his fists and for once stared right into the silver-haired man's eyes. Sephiroth looked back at him, no emotion displayed on his face, but the blond definitely heard him sigh as he turned his head to face another direction.

"The Heartless are creatures born from the darkness in people's hearts", Cloud stood still on the spot, trembling slightly. "Anyone whose heart is captured joins their ranks."

Cloud stared at him blankly for a moment, not knowing how to react. "Does… does that mean…?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

No, that could not be it. It couldn't. He must have heard it wrong. "You mean… everyone…?" he tried, deeply hoping that Sephiroth would say something that could prove that this was all some sort of cruel joke.

But Sephiroth remained silent, and made no sign of movement at all. Cloud's gaze fell to the floor; he still could not believe it. Was he to accept that all of those creature, even the ones they had been fighting, the ones that had killed people, once where human beings? That would mean that his parents, Zack and everyone else he knew were one of them. No, that had to be a lie.

"You're lying…", he whispered and clenched his fists even tighter. He wouldn't cry, after all, it was not true. He repeated the words several times and realized that his voice broke more and more every time he did. He had already failed his attempt not to cry, and tears ran freely down his cheeks. He had almost accepted the fact that everyone was dead, but this… this was worse than death. A brief thought of everyone who had cared for him as hungry predators scouring the city for other humans to turn into one of them. It could not be real.

"Cloud…" the blond could feel Sephiroth's presence and immediately retracted from it. It did not strike him as odd that the silver-haired man knew his name. What did it matter anyway? He wanted nothing to do with him.

He dashed up to the next floor, threw himself on the bed and made sure the covers blocked him from view. All the pent-up sadness that he had continuously pushed back rose to the surface in its entirety and it was impossible to stop. The more he tried to, it became more apparent that it was futile. The tears did not stop either, and they were now soaking sheets of the bed. However, in the midst of all of it, he could feel something warm and comforting, and while it did not make him feel better, it did not make it worse either. In his state of blocking out reality, he could not tell what it was, but he tried focusing on it instead of all the bad things that had happened to him. He was sure it would make things better, even if it didn't right now.

* * *

_(1) __ I may be wrong about that, but who really cares. All the house look like they're made of stone, but have been painted with wood colored paint. Also it was ten years ago (I'll probably end up using this excuse a lot in this story). And if the situation requires it I'd tell you that Sephiroth was lying (he does that sometimes) _

_(2) Yeah, she's someone I created, in case you couldn't tell. She'll be in one or two more chapters after this (haven't decided yet), not really important, just using her to explain some things. Oh, and in case you're wondering her name is pronounced "Sir-thee". Yeah, I make up really weird names sometimes._

_(3) Concidering that places in KH have names like "Hollow Bastion", "Radiant Garden" and "Enchanted Dominion", I don't how Soaring Haven couldn't be one of them. Granted, I made it up, but I still think is sounds pretty good._

So that's chapter 3. Another weird ending (or am I the only one who thinks the endings are weird). Originally it ended differently, I think. I don't remember how anymore. As for chapter 4, I have no idea what's gonna happen. Well, have a vague idea, we'll see what comes out of it.


	4. Chapter IV

**AN: **I promised myself to get this done last Sunday. That... didn't happen. Anyway, this is the "let's go shopping"-chapter. No really it is. I don't have much else to say, except that this is probably the shortest note yet.

* * *

**Chapter IV**

Traverse Town, which was the name of the place, was, as it turned out, not that unused to refugees. People turned up there out of the blue all the time according to the townspeople, although none of them had ever come in a ship before.

Considering the circumstances, the week Squall and the others had spent in the town had been quite pleasant. They had been treated with kindness and the townspeople had given them somewhere to live for the time being. They had expressed their worry about the black creatures, as they had never heard of anything like them. One had even gone so far to suggest that they might be native to Radiant Garden, something Squall sincerely doubted.

He had spent the majority of his free time – they had all had a lot of it after things calmed down – scouring every nook and cranny of the town. He had a feeling that they would live there for a long time, and he figured it was best to get to know it properly as fast as possible. No, that was a lie. The truth was much simpler.

He wanted a diversion, something to keep his mind off the fact that he was a miserable failure. He had not been a help anyone back then, and as things were he could not help anyone now either. It was not thanks to him Aerith and Yuffie were alive. In reality, the brown-haired girl had done more for the people of Radiant Garden than he had. What had he done, really? He had held them up, delayed their escape so that he could run around the city like an idiot. It had achieved nothing except draining Aerith of her strength, almost getting them all killed in the process.

Squall's sigh echoed throughout the small cavern. He had found the place during his search through the city. It was at the end of the waterway in the 2nd District, the same district in which he and the others currently lived. The opening had been covered with a frame of steel bars, but Squall found that if you hit it just right it could be removed. Beyond it was a tunnel, its floor covered in water, enough to drench his trousers as he had crawled through it. The tunnel had widened into a cavern after just a few feet, but it had been pitch black so after a few visits Squall had fashioned it with some primitive lanterns. The light had revealed a large painting on one of the walls. It was a picture of a sun, that looked like a cross between an ancient carving and a child's drawing.

He had made it his personal spot now and he had not told anyone about it. He did not use for more than brooding at the time, which even to him felt like a complete waste of time. His mind was too stuck into the recent events, and really, he wanted to let it all go. He did not want to forget about it, but wanted to be able to cope with it without wallowing in his own guilt. That could not be possible if he did not find a way to redeem himself, and in order to do that he had to fight. His own sword had not been effective against those creatures, at least not effective enough. He was not worried, though, he had a few ideas of how to improve his chances. Some of them he found quite silly, really, but they might work. He should talk to a weapon smith as soon as possible.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For, you know, crying and… stuff."

"Considering what happened to you it's nothing you should apologize for."

Cloud had spent three days doing nothing after he had broken down. It was quite pathetic, but he had not felt well enough to get out of bed. He was not nearly as strong as he wished that he were. The first day had been absolute torture. He had not been able to think straight, his mind and felt like a vortex of confusing thoughts that he could not make any sense of. He had not cried again, and he could not remember it clearly, but believed he had just stared into empty space for long stretches of time. The second and third day had been better, he had been able to think again and he could remember them much clearer. Sephiroth had kept him company, perhaps he had during the first day too but Cloud could not remember, and eventually, after a bit of persuasion Cloud had told him everything that happened to him, in as much detail as he dared giving to the silver-haired man. Even though Sephiroth was the reason Cloud was not running around Radiant Garden as a Heartless, the blond did not trust him. There was something odd about him, something he could not exactly place, not to mention that he could look quite intimidating from time to time.

So Cloud pretended to trust him, and as far as he knew Sephiroth believed him. He had never been a good liar, so it was almost scary the way the other accepted everything he said. Perhaps Sephiroth knew of it and just played along. No, it could not be like that.

"I guess so", Cloud said and smiled nervously. He had to keep secrets from the other; he could not place his whole life in Sephiroth's hands, and this was the only way to remain independent.

"That means you're feeling better", Sephiroth stated. He appeared to be very sure of this, but Cloud could not blame him, he was right after all.

The blond nodded. "Yeah… I think I'm fine now."

"What will you do now?"

Cloud's gazed fell. It was not as if he had not thought about it; he had known it would happen at some point. He could not stay holed up in Certhe's home for the rest of his life, he had to move on somehow. He was not entirely sure of what to do.

"Zack died because I couldn't defend myself", he said the words aloud, hoping that it would lead him to some kind of conclusion. "I don't want that to happen again."

"So you want me to help you with that?" Sephiroth asked. The thought appeared to amuse him, because Cloud was sure the other was smiling.

"If you could… want to, I mean", Cloud said, biting him lower lips nervously. Although he did not trust the silver-haired man, having him teaching him how to use a sword did not seem as such a bad idea. He obviously knew how to handle a blade, that long sword he carried around could not just be for show. Even so, Sephiroth seemed to consider the option. He would not say no, would he?

"I suppose I could", he finally replied, and Cloud instantly felt quite relieved, albeit a bit worried. What would it be like? It would not be too rough, would it? "But you need a weapon for that, and I can only teach the basics. There are things I can do that I doubt you can ever achieve."

"That's fine", Cloud replied, but found the statement quite arrogant. Had Sephiroth implied that he would never have skill enough to do the things he could? In any case, it sounded strange, but Cloud decided to leave it be. "Where can I get a sword?"

"Not anywhere on the Northern Rim", Sephiroth said and looked out the window, as if he was making sure his statement was true. "People who aren't fully blessed are not allowed to forge their own weapons."

"People like you and Certhe?"

"People like Certhe, not like me", Sephiroth corrected and looked amused. "Didn't I tell you this?"

Cloud nodded reluctantly. It was true that Sephiroth had told he was different from Certhe. That he was more like Cloud, only for the fact he was not from Soaring Haven either. The blond found this hard to believe, it would make more sense if he were from the Haven than if he was not. Otherwise, why had he been brought here instead of whatever world Sephiroth called his home?

"I suppose I can't have one then", he said, changing back the subject. "I can't fly."

"You don't have to", Sephiroth said, flapping the large black wing on his back. "I think this will do quite well."

Cloud watched him curiously. "You can… fly with that?"

It did not seem possible. Wouldn't flying with one wing be unbalanced? Perhaps Sephiroth had some way of making it work. After all, he had brought Cloud here from a different world, so flying should be a cinch.

"It's not just for show, you know", Sephiroth replied, and Cloud was sure he found all of his questions and statements very entertaining. He must appear as a naïve child that the man had to explain everything that should be completely obvious to.

"You can go alone then", Cloud said, withholding a sigh. He would really have liked to see the rest if the Haven, but there were too many complications involved.

"What makes you say that?"

"Even if you can fly, I still can't", Cloud replied. "And even if I get there, they'd treat me as an unblessed, wouldn't they?

"You're not that heavy, Cloud. I'll carry you", Sephiroth said. "As to whether or not they'd treat as an unblessed, you just need to stay close to me and nothing will happen."

Cloud was not sure whether he should take it as some sort of joke or not, but abruptly turned away from the other, and almost felt like crossing his arms in disapproval. "I don't wanna be carried."

Sephiroth laughed. It was more like a soft chuckle, but it was the closest thing to a laugh Cloud had heard the man utter, so he decided that that was what it was. "Stubborn, aren't you?"

Cloud, who still did not feel like looking at him, frowned in response to the statement.

"I see your mind's made up", Cloud reluctantly turned back. He was not sure, but perhaps Sephiroth was disappointed in him. The man's feelings were not easy to read, and at some points Cloud thought he did not have any. "I'll just pick something for you then."

The last statement was obviously meant to agitate him, and Cloud felt very disheartened that it had actually worked. He was so incredibly disappointed about the fact that he could not have a say in the matter of what the other would get him, that he even considered changing his mind and let Sephiroth carry him over to another one of the isles. He had to be able to do things on his own, though, and being carried somewhere, even if it was because he could not fly, felt very clingy, and that was the complete opposite of what he was trying to achieve. But perhaps Sephiroth did not think of it that way, so maybe he should not either. It would be a short flight, and it was his decision, so it should work within his whole independence scheme, even if he was stretching it a bit.

"Changed you mind?" Sephiroth asked. He seemed to have noticed the blond's change of heart, even though Cloud could not figure out how. Was he that easy to read?

"Y-yeah…" Cloud said in a low voice, feeling embarrassed about the whole situation. "I want to come with you."

* * *

"Squall, where are you going?"

Yuffie tore at the sleeve of his jacket while repeatedly asking the same question. She had asked him every single time he had tried to leave the house. Most of the time he ignored her repeated cries and went so far away that they could no longer be heard. This time, however, were a bit different. Where he was going was not a secret, it did not have to be either, so he figured he could supply her with an answer.

"I'm getting a new sword", he said curtly and tried not so look at her as he moved towards the door.

Yuffie ran ahead of him and blocked his path to it. "What's wrong with your old one?"

She looked at him stubbornly and Squall knew she would not be satisfied until he had explained every little detail to her. He sighed; he did not have time for that.

"Nothing's wrong with it, I'm just…" he stopped and tried to find the right word. "… remodeling it." Yeah, that was what he was doing.

"Can I come?" Yuffie grabbed his hand. "Please?"

Squall tugged away from her grip. "No."

Yuffie responded to his action by frowning and crossing her arms. There seemed to be no way to make her happy without letting her have her way. He even briefly considered it, but decided that no, he would not let her. He gave her light shove to move her out of his path.

"Aerith, can we follow him?" Squall stopped abruptly at the girl's words. The laugh that followed was even more worrying.

"We could, it we say we're buying new weapons too", Aerith said and giggled as Squall turned his head to look at her. How could she? He did not know what he wanted to do at the moment. Hurting someone seemed almost reasonable, but he settled on trying to glare at the two girls menacingly.

Aerith smiled at him from her seat while Yuffie tugged at her arm.

"C'mon, Aerith", the black-haired girl said impatiently, and managed to get the girl to her feet.

"You don't mind, do you?" Aerith asked, never losing the smile on her face.

Squall did mind, and he knew the she knew that, which made things even worse. She was out to get him, wasn't she? Regardless, there was nothing he could do to stop her; he did not have the authority to order her to do anything. He just had to bear it.

"Yeah… why not", he said, but made his dislike was clear in his voice. To increase his annoyance Yuffie cheered and Aerith shot him an almost evil smile.

As a result, the walk to the weapon smith felt much longer than it should have. Squall stayed silent the entire time. Thankfully, the girls did too, but their presence was still noticeable and it felt like it prickled him all over with hundreds of sharp, thin needles. It was impossible to ignore.

The store was located in the 1st District, in a fairly anonymous house that looked just like any other building in the district, build in reddish brown wood with a slanting roof. It did not bring much attention to itself. A bit above the door hung a worn metal sign, it had probably said something in the past but weather and wind had made it impossible to make out. Perhaps it was a sign that it had been in business for a long time and had not felt like changing the sign. Squall liked to think that, it meant that they knew what they were doing. Of course, it could be the other way around too.

"Is this it?" Yuffie asked.

Squall nodded in response and went ahead. If the two of them wanted to come with him they had to follow, it was not like they needed instructions.

A bell tingled as he opened the door and stepped inside. The room was large and yellow light colored the wooden walls and floor. By the far end of the room was a large wooden desk. The wall behind it was decorated with an assortment of weapons, showing what the smith's craft was capable of. A man sat by the desk, his elbows resting on it. He looked like he was about Cid's age and appeared to have the same taste in clothes. He greeted them with a friendly smile when he saw them. Squall thought he might be the person taking care of the store because he did not look like a smith in his eyes, but whether he was or not was irrelevant as long as he could help him.

"What can I do for you?" the man asked, unfolding his hands.

"I…"

"I want that!" Yuffie's shrill voice interrupted. She pointed at an oddly shaped blade, which to Squall looked like a circular saw. It also looked lethal, and definitely not suitable for a seven-year-old girl. "Can I?"

The man laughed. "I can't sell weapons to little children."

Yuffie frowned and turned away with her arms crossed.

"You know what. Wait, say, five years or so and I might sell you one. Might give you a discount too", even after those words Yuffie still looked grumpy. Squall could understand that, five years was a long time. They might not even live in the town by then.

The man turned back to Squall. "Now was it that you wanted?"

"I have a bit of a… special request", he chose his words carefully; he was not sure how the man would react to his idea. He placed his sword on the desk in front of him.

The man eyed it curiously. "Is something wrong with it? It looks fine to me. Might need to be sharpened a bit, though." He turned the blade over a few times and touched the edge of it.

"Um… no. I want it remodeled", Squall tried to explain in as great detail as possible what he wanted done. When he was done, the man stared at him with a slightly shocked expression.

"You're insane, you know that?"

Squall winced. Just what he had expected. "Can you do it or not?"

"I can do it, alright", the man nodded. "Might need some extra help, and it'll be expensive. Hope you can pay for it, kid."

"Not a problem", Squall replied, aware of the lack of emotion in his voice.

"Right, right. What about the young lady, did you come here for a specially designed sword too?" Aerith, who had admired some of the stores less lethal wares with Yuffie, looked back at them, surprise written on her face.

"No", she said apologetically, and gave an awkward smile. "I think I'll stick to defensive magic."

The man smiled. "You underestimate me. I have something for that too. Wait and see."

He dived under the desk and Squall could hear him moving the things that were there for a short while before he returned seemingly empty-handed. That seemed somewhat pointless, Squall figured.

"See, this is something very special", the man opened his right hand and within it lay a small light green stone.

"What is it?" Aerith asked, stepping closer to get a better look. Squall tilted his head forward to do the same.

"This…", the man looked excited. "…is what they call a light pearl. A white magic enhancer. They're very rare. Would be perfect for you."

"But it's tiny", Yuffie leaned over the man's hand, watching the pearl with mild suspicion. "It can't do much."

"And I can't afford it either", Aerith said. "Rare means expensive usually."

"Ah, unfortunately yes. You came here recently, didn't you? Then I suppose you wouldn't have much money", the man sighed and closed his hand over the pearl and put it back in its place underneath the desk. He turned back to Squall when he was finished. "Come again in a week, it should be done by then."

Squall nodded and mumbled some vague "thank you" before deciding to leave. The two girls noticed this and followed him back out. Apparently, they did not need to spend more time in the store or perhaps they wanted to keep him company.

"You're gonna buy that stone, won't you Aerith?" Yuffie asked once they were outside.

"Maybe, if I can afford it", the other girl replied. She sounded sincerely happy about the prospect of getting hold of the "light pearl". Squall could not understand her, it looked like a small fancy-looking stone to him. It seemed to have no magical properties at all. Granted, he did not practice magic, but he could not help feeling that might be a trick. If they were that gullible, it was not his problem.

* * *

"It's so far…"

The edge where the Northern Rim ended into empty air had no protective border too speak of. It all ended abruptly and one could easily have missed it and fallen to one's death. Cloud could see another one of the floating isles, but it was much further away than he had expected. It gave him second thoughts. A flight between them would take at least a few minutes, he estimated, but since he did not know how fast normal flight speed was he could not be sure. Either way, he was not up for it. He did not like the idea of being carried, not for so long and not by someone he did not fully trust. It might not be safe either.

"If it wasn't there would be no need for flying", Sephiroth replied, effectively shaking Cloud out of his thoughts.

"I guess."

"Don't tell me you've changed your mind again?"

"No", Cloud tried to sound as confident as possible and looked up at the other. It was hard not to feel small in Sephiroth's presence. It always felt like the man towered above him, and the blond found it rather unnerving.

"We fly, then?" Sephiroth asked and placed a hand on one of Cloud's shoulders. The moment it touched him it sent a shiver throughout the blond's body and, Cloud could not explain it, he felt a sharp, painful tug in his chest.

"Um… yeah", Cloud replied. He felt uneasy, but tried to shake it off. He did not have any other choices, after all.

Once Cloud had given Sephiroth his answer, he was not given much time before he was scooped up in the other's arms in a very uncomfortable position. Just as he had expected it did not feel safe at all, and when they took off from the ground, indicated by a loud flap, in was so fast that Cloud, out of fear of falling down, wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck and dug his face into his shoulder. He realized that it was a pretty stupid and childish thing to do, but it felt a bit safer and he was not forced to look at how far it was to the bottom. Sephiroth probably found it amusing, as he had thought everything Cloud had said and done so far to be.

When Sephiroth finally let him down on solid ground again, Cloud could not tell how much time had passed, but it must have been shorter than it had felt. Flying was not something he wished to do again, and just thinking about the fact that he had to get back somehow made him feel anxious.

They stood on a small circular platform with stone steps leading down from it. It was probably a place where one could safely land, and by the look of it, it had been around for quite a while. The stone was withered and had cracks in it with turfs of grass spurting out of them. Either no one cared to tend to it or it was not used anymore. The second option seemed likely, as there were no people around. In the distance, Cloud could spot a town consisting of houses similar to those in the Northern Rim, but without the snow.

"Stay close", Sephiroth said. It sounded like an order and made Cloud feel uncomfortable. Despite the cold exterior, there seemed to be a hint of worry there, as if every resident in the town wished to tear all their limbs from their bodies as soon as the set foot inside it. Perhaps it was not so far from the truth. "Be quiet, and don't draw attention to yourself."

Cloud found himself scoffing at this. _Don't draw attention to yourself_, that was easier said than done when you had to stay close to the guy with unnatural long, silver hair and a black wing. It could not be normal by any means. But Cloud did not point it out to Sephiroth and followed the other down the stairs in silence. He stayed close to him as instructed, even though he did not think it would do much good.

As they passed through what seemed to be a perimeter separating the town from the rest of the isle, the few men guarding the area, all of them adorned with wings and carrying long, sharp spears, gave Cloud very hostile looks. Their expressions was that of pure disgust, and though they made did not advance towards them, it was enough for the blond to grab Sephiroth's left arm to ensure his safety. If they believed he was with him they might not dare to touch him.

It did not get better further into town. Every single person seemed to send him looks. They seemed to pierce all the way into his heart and he could still sense them even with his eyes closed. Certhe had told him that people held prejudice towards unblessed, but he had never expected it to be outright loathing.

So much for not drawing attention to themselves, but it was not his fault, Cloud told himself. Sephiroth was the reason everyone looked their way and noticed him in the process. It was not like he was easy to miss.

Upon reaching a house of grey brown wood with a sign with strange writing engraved in it hanging outside, Sephiroth stopped and looked back at him.

"They won't allow you to come inside", he said almost apologetically.

"Then what was the point of me coming?" Cloud asked, but Sephiroth placed a gloved finger over his mouth, stopping further protests.

"I understand", he said softly, but it only made Cloud more upset. He felt betrayed; he knew he should not have trusted him. He had given him false expectations and now he tried to make excuses. "I didn't lie to you."

"No, but you didn't tell me this."

"Yes, I suppose I didn't", Sephiroth looked annoyed. "But while I'm gone it's important that you stay put. Don't talk to anyone and don't go anywhere. Understood?"

Cloud understood, but made a stubborn face. This was all too familiar, just like when Zack tried to protect him. He did not like being overprotected, but considering what had happened last time he had disobeyed, he quickly backed down. If everything went well, this may be one of the last times he had to be protected.

Sephiroth did not wait for him to respond before he slipped through the door. Cloud sat down on a pile of boxes beside it and drew his legs towards his chest. He felt left out again, once again stuck in a period of waiting without being able to contribute with anything. He was just in the way all the time. The reminder was painful and he wiped a few measly tears away from the corners of his eyes. He had to keep his mind on something else, and tried to look at his surroundings in greater detail. Maybe there was something there he could occupy his thoughts with.

The street was not particularly wide and it was crowded. People bumped into each other or had to squeeze themselves forward in order to pass. How he and Sephiroth had passed this problem was a mystery. Perhaps they did not want to touch someone who seem to be an unblessed.

It seemed to be a large marketplace because men and women constantly stopped to buy something from the many booths or enter one of the stores. It almost felt like a nice town, but Cloud knew he was not welcome there.

Everyone had those white wings, those that Certhe only had miniatures of, and he seen quite a few times when people left space for someone to unfold them and take off from the ground. Even the children had wings, but they merely used them to hover slightly above the ground. It actually looked quite enjoyable and Cloud wondered what it was like. It was not as if anyone would tell him, no one even looked at him, as if doing so would only lead to misfortune.

Cloud lowered his gaze and curled up even more. He was all alone and he felt threatened from every angle. What would happen if someone decided that he should be taken away? He was not sure if he could stop them, and no one would help him either, would they?

The blond found himself wanting Sephiroth to return, just so that he could feel safe… no, safer again and go back to the Northern Rim. Whether he got a weapon or not was unimportant, he just did not want to return there ever again. He glanced back at the door, staring at it intently, almost hoping it would open if he did so. Of course it did not work, but he kept looking at it, it was much better than acknowledging how misplaced he was in this world.

As time went by, he became worried. Every moment seemed to become more and more dangerous. He did not want anyone to come over and take him to some place where he did not know what to do or where no one may find him again. Really, what was taking so long? What if it would be too late?

There was a great sense of danger here, and if there was any reason to disobey Sephiroth's order to stay put, this felt like a good one. There was nothing to be panicked about, yet, but who knew for how long that would stay true.

Cloud looked at the door again. It would be so easy to slip through it. No one guarded it, and the worst thing that could happen was that he would be shoved out again. What did Sephiroth know about whether he was allowed inside or not anyway?

He had already made his decision, so he jumped down from the wooden boxes and reached for the door's handle. He shook his head as feelings of doubt arose in it. He could not hesitate like this anymore; it was pointless and took him nowhere. With that in mind, he opened the door.

As always, Sephiroth was easy to spot, and Cloud ran over to him, probably bumping into other people as he did, the annoyed grunts he heard were enough to tell him that. He did not care what Sephiroth was doing, no matter what it was it could probably be done at some other time. The blond grabbed the silver-haired man's arm again, just like he had done as they had walked through the streets, while attempting the hide his face from the man's view.

"Didn't I tell you to stay outside?" Sephiroth sounded a bit surprised.

Cloud nodded. Maybe this had been a stupid idea.

"Then why are you here?"

"I don't like it here", Cloud whispered into the sleeve of the other's shirt. "I… can we go back?"

"I suppose we can."

Even if they had not accomplish what they came there to do, Cloud did not care. All that mattered was that he felt somewhat safe again.

* * *

Cloud's really paranoid, isn't he? Oh, well something happens in the next chapter. This felt kind of like a filler, but I still think it was necessary. Btw if someone told you to make them a gunblade wouldn't you think they were a bit crazy too?


	5. Chapter V

**Chapter V**

Certhe held Cloud's hand in a firm grip as she gently dabbed the cut on his forearm with a damp ball of cotton. Her face held a stern look that was very disapproving as she continued to wipe the blood away.

"He should be more careful with you", she exclaimed as she laid the wad on the table beside her. It held a faint red color now, as the blood had been soaked up into it. "Using real weapons, what is he thinking?"

"In a real battle…" Cloud began.

"… Your opponent wouldn't be careful and would have real weapon, you've said that. But you won't learn anything if you're hurt all the time."

It had been a couple of months since Sephiroth started to train Cloud in swordplay in Certhe's snowy backyard. The woman had not approved and remained adamant about it, even more so after she had seen the cuts and bruises the blond had sustained after each training session. She had deemed it her duty to clean and dress his wounds and to constantly force Cloud to abstain from training whenever he had wounds that she considered too serious.

Certhe finished wrapping the soft piece of white cloth around his arm, but she did not lose the sour look on her face. "You won't be doing more of that for a while."

"You can't decide that", Cloud said and pulled his wounded arm out of the woman's grip. He looked at the dressing. He was certain that it was a bit too tight, because he felt very unpleasant, but then again, it always felt that way. "We're almost done, too."

"Almost done?" Certhe looked puzzled. "Does that mean you'll be leaving?"

Cloud blinked. He had not thought much of it when Sephiroth had made that statement. It had been a few days ago after one their training sessions when the silver-haired man had mentioned it. Was Certhe right? Would they be leaving soon? While Cloud had known that they would leave at some point, it felt as if time had moved quicker than it should have and the moment had sneaked up on him earlier than expected. Now it felt sad to leave Soaring Haven, or more specifically, the Northern Rim and Certhe, behind. The blonde woman tried to control him a bit too much at times, but when Cloud looked past that, he liked her. She reminded him a bit of his mother, whom he would never see again, which was sad. It hurt to think about it, and the blond almost felt guilty that it passed so quickly. Shouldn't he feel more sorrow than this? Maybe he was stronger than he thought.

"So he didn't say anything about it?" Certhe shook her head and sighed. "It happened before."

Cloud gave her a confused look. "Before?"

"He brought someone else with him a few years ago. Very similar to you."

"They left?"

"Yes", Certhe looked sad as she said it and placed her hands in her lap. She sighed again and Cloud felt bad for her. "I missed them."

"Sephiroth came back", Cloud said, not sure whether it would cheer her up or not. He hoped it would.

Certhe smiled softly at him. "He did."

"But… I guess he'll leave again", Cloud said and made so that he would not to meet her eyes as he did so. "I'm sorry."

"No, that's not your fault", Certhe placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't feel bad. If anything you're the reason he came back."

Cloud glanced back at her and nodded. She was right, of course. He was blaming himself for nothing again.

Certhe smiled again. "Now, where might that personal guardian of yours be?"

"Out", Cloud replied curtly. Certhe had referred to Sephiroth as such several times before, but that did not make him feel better about it. He did not want to be protected; it was what he strived to get away from. Unfortunately, though, she was right, Sephiroth had, and probably would in the future, protect him a lot, and no matter how hard Cloud tried he never stopped needing or receiving the other's help. That was of course partially his fault, but he was sure that he would do better now, now that he had the ability to protect himself. He would be in Sephiroth's debt, though, since the man had taught him how. "I don't know when he's coming back."

"That's odd, he usually doesn't leave your side", Certhe looked puzzled for a second, but it quickly changed into a smile again. "We'll just wait for him to come back, then. It won't be long, I'm sure."

Cloud sighed and poked at his bandages absentmindedly. Certhe slapped his hand away from them and before she could scold him for it, he placed his hands in his lap and kept them still.

The conversation seemed to be over, and all he could do was to wait in silence. He did not like it, and every single little detail seemed to annoy him. His feet felt itched strangely as they rested on the floor, as if something hurt without actually hurting. The chair was uncomfortable and he had to shift his weight every few seconds in order to escape it.

Who knew what Sephiroth was doing? What Certhe said was true. He rarely left. He had done so a few times during the recent week though, but never for this long. Cloud had not bothered to find out what he was doing either. He had asked once, but had received no answer, so he had ignored the issue altogether. He had not believed that he needed to know every single one of Sephiroth's secrets. After all, Sephiroth did not know everything about him, so what right did Cloud have to know everything? This did seem a little strange, however. Perhaps he should have been more persistent about it.

"What do you think he's doing?" Cloud said, not able to stand the silence any longer. He also did not feel like ponder over this whole thing on his own anymore.

Certhe laughed. "I have no idea. You should ask him yourself."

"All right I will", he stood up. "I'll go out looking for him."

"That's not what I meant", Certhe said, but she made no real attempt to stop him, so Cloud reached the front door without any trouble. He opened it with no hesitation; he had learned a few things about that these last couple of months.

The first thing that he ran into was the cold winter wind. Despite the time that had passed, the Northern Rim appeared to have no seasons to speak of; it was just as cold now as it had been when he first arrived. His feet sank down into the snow and as the heat of his body melted it, icy water seeped through his socks. Cloud wished he had given some thought to the weather and considered wearing something more suitable. Certhe's house was so warm that it was hard to imagine the contrast outside it. His shirt would not do well at all in this weather. His bare arms felt as if they were frozen solid and the bandages felt even more uncomfortable now. Something, Cloud did not know what, pride maybe, hindered him from returning to the house and pick up more appropriate clothing. He could do this regardless of the cold, he could return if it was too much for him. He would not have to go very far, he would be strong enough.

He took a few steps over the snow-covered ground, shivering with cold for every one of them, and hoped he would be able to spot Sephiroth from a distance. He should not be hard to spot after all, and calling out to him would be a better option than carrying on through the snow.

"Looking for me, are you?" Cloud felt a light tap on his left shoulder and that, coupled with the words made him jump and fall down into the snow. He groaned and as he lay in the snow, feeling his face redden over his own clumsiness. How had Sephiroth gotten behind him? He always thought he was observant, still this man managed to stand behind him without him noticing. He silently cursed that along with the fact that he had fallen.

Sephiroth offered him his hand and Cloud reluctantly grabbed it with his uninjured arm, the bandages of the other now covered in cold, melting snow, and allowed the other to pull him to his feet. Cloud glanced at him from the corner of his eye with a sour look on his face, while trying to swat away as much snow from the bandages as possible, it could not be good for them to be wet.

"Should I apologize?" Sephiroth asked, his voice once again holding that tone of amusement that Cloud hated. "If so, I'm sorry I frightened you."

Cloud looked back at him. "I wasn't frightened."

The blond instantly noticed there was something different about Sephiroth when he looked at him, and it took him a few seconds to figure out what it was.

"Your wing is gone", Cloud narrowed his eyes, but Sephiroth's expression did not change at this supposed threat. "Is that what you've been trying to do?"

It did not make much sense to him. Why did Sephiroth need to hide that wing anyway? In Soaring Haven being without it was a bad thing, so why? Granted, it would make him stand out anywhere else, but they were not going anywhere… oh.

"We're leaving, aren't we?" Cloud asked, feeling an unexpected sadness engulf him as the realization sank in.

"In a few days", Sephiroth confirmed and Cloud's mood sank. Now that it had really come to it, he did not want to leave, not yet.

"Where are we going?" he asked. Even though he has certain that whatever place Sephiroth would mention would be unknown to him, a name was still something.

"A place I know of", well, that told him nothing, Cloud thought bitterly. "It's cold, we should go inside. I'll tell you more then."

Sephiroth gave him a light pat on the back to push him forward, and Cloud obeyed instantly. He did not want to be out in the cold anyway, so this was a good thing. As they walked none of them spoke, and Cloud wondered whether Sephiroth had taken his statement about "telling him more later" a bit too literally.

It gave him time to think, though. Sephiroth rarely made any physical contact with him, and the few times he had, Cloud had been left with a strangely unpleasant feeling. He had not forgotten the first time it happened, when he had felt that painful sting in his chest, and while that had never happened again, whenever Sephiroth touched him, he felt a phantom of that pain. There was no reason to blame the other for that though, that those two things had happened at the same time could very well just be a coincidence. The other times he had felt it was probably just his imagination.

Certhe was waiting for them in the same chair she had sat in when Cloud left when they came back to the house. Cloud noticed that her expression changed frown when she saw Sephiroth. Her eyes seemed to narrow slightly and her were lips were tightly pressed together. Had she too noticed that he no longer had the wing? Yes, she must have. She knew what it meant too. She said nothing and Sephiroth gave Cloud a small gesture to follow him, and Cloud, after casting a fleeting glance at the blonde woman, reluctantly followed.

"She doesn't want you to leave", Sephiroth stated when they reached the other room. "She must be very fond of you."

"Yeah, I guess", Cloud mumbled.

"Is it the same for you?"

Cloud stared at him for a brief moment before lowering his gaze. "A bit."

"I see."

"But I… I think I want to leave anyway."

"Then I suppose you have something specific in mind?" Cloud stared at him again in surprise. How had he known? He shook it off and nodded.

"Yeah… I want to go back home. To Radiant Garden."

* * *

"Squall's stupid", Yuffie stated as she sat on her bed, embedding her fingers into the pale blue covers lying on top of it.

Just over a week ago, Squall had told them, with no further explanation, that he wanted to be called Leon, and had made a habit of correcting anyone who called him anything else. Yuffie had not been able to comprehend why, but Aerith had noticed that he seemed to be more positive afterward. Not that they had seen much of him in the last few days, he and Cid had been doing something, most of it not within earshot of the two girls. They were planning something, that much was certain.

"I don't get it", Yuffie grunted, her voice sullen.

"Yuffie, that's just his way of dealing with things", Aerith said softly and looked up at the other from the book she had been reading. It was hard to concentrate with the black-haired girl constantly expressing her annoyance verbally. "I think Squall… I mean Leon, took it a lot harder than us."

Yuffie snorted. "He's still stupid."

Aerith did involuntarily let out a laugh, but quickly put a hand to her mouth to stifle it. "It's different for all of us."

Yuffie looked up at her with wide eyes. Her expression quickly changed to one that was quite sad. "How did you deal with it?"

Something heavy seemed to fall down and cover Aerith's mind. Yuffie's words had struck her deeply; she had not tried to deal with things at all. Crying was not her forte, and she believed it was better to stay strong. For Yuffie, for all of them, Squall thought so too, she believed, despite that cold demeanor of his.

"Aerith? Do you miss them?" Yuffie's shot through the barrier that had formed around Aerith's mind, and she realized she had been silent for a significant amount of time. Had she spaced out? That reminded her of someone else she knew. "Aerith?"

Aerith sighed. "Yes, I miss them."

Yuffie brought her feet up from the floor and let them rest on the bed before she wrapped her arms around her legs, making her look even smaller than she already was.

"Who do you miss the most?" she whispered. She sounded guilty over her own words.

"I don't miss anyone more than anyone else", Aerith replied. The months that they had spent not talking about what they had lost felt so painful now. Why hadn't they? It seemed so stupid. "I miss my parents, and my friends."

Yuffie shifted her weight on the bed nervously. "I miss my mom and dad too", she made a pause, "They're dead, aren't they?"

"Yuffie…"

"That's why you won't tell me anything."

Aerith sighed. The little girl was surprisingly bright at times. Perhaps all this tragedy had made her mature faster. Maybe that was required…

"I miss Cloud too…" Yuffie whispered and then she smiled sadly. "He was nice to me."

Aerith felt a smile creep onto her face. She remembered Cloud, that shy blonde boy who always hung out with Zack. She had known Zack quite well and since Cloud was with him most of the time, she knew him well too. Yuffie had lived next to her house and she had rarely missed the opportunity to tag along with them. Aerith did not know why Yuffie had been so fond of Cloud, but she was sure the girl had her reasons.

Where the two of her friends had been during the evening of the attack she did not know; it had been one of those rare times when they were separated. She had not had time to think about it. She had just grabbed Yuffie and run. It had been mere luck that they had ended up with Cid and Squall – two people she had only known by name back then. If they had not met them, they would have been dead now. Maybe that was what had happened to Zack and Cloud. No other refugees had appeared in Traverse Town and it was unlikely that they had appeared anywhere else. Even they had, they would have no way to make it back.

So many people were gone; she had neglected that truth for a long, but now they welled up to the surface.

"Aerith? Do you miss Cloud too?" Yuffie asked. She sounded worried and Aerith quickly wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Yeah, I do."

Yuffie looked like she was about to say something, but was interrupted by the door to their room opening.

"Could you girls come out here? We have an announcement to make", Cid called out to them. His face turned puzzled when he saw them. "What's with the gloom in here?"

"Nothing", Aerith said, and smiled in a way that she believed was convincing enough.

"Okay then. Get out here."

Yuffie gave Aerith a confused look, who in turn shrugged as she stood up and followed Cid into the next room. Was this about what the two of them had been planning? It had to. What else could it be?

Squall sat by the table in the room that was their kitchen. He tapped the fingers of his right hand impatiently against the wood, his head resting in the other. As the two girls entered the room with Cid, he tilted his head up slightly to state that he had acknowledged their presence.

"Here they are", Cid announced. "I s'pose you can do the talkin'."

Squall looked Aerith right in the eye, or at least she thought he did. He could be looking at all of them, she supposed.

"We're going back", he stated.

"We are? But…" Aerith began.

"You got the wrong idea", Squall looked the other way. "We're going back, not you."

"But why?"

"We need to find out what happened", Cid filled in. "Been remodeling the ship just for this trip. Leon here's been training with that new weapon of his."

Aerith knew about Squall's new weapon. A gunblade, as it had been named by its wielder. A sword and a gun, no wonder the man at the weapon shop had thought he was crazy. Aerith wondered how it worked; there had to be some magic charge to it.

"We're going tomorrow", Squall said. "We just though you should know."

"Why can't we help?" Yuffie asked and gave Squall an annoyed look.

"Well, kid, you'd only be in the way", Cid replied and Yuffie, as she had many times before, frowned in response.

"What exactly are you hoping to find?" Aerith asked. What purpose could it really serve? Radiant Garden was a big place, and she doubted that Cid and Squall could search all of it. Not with all the dangers that existed in it now.

"Some clue to why this whole thing happened", Squall said and crossed his arms. "It seems to have originated from our world. I don't know about you, but I can't stand not knowing."

"I… I see…" Aerith understood. Squall probably felt as though he had to do this. It would help him on his path to redemption or something. Whatever it was, she knew she should not try to stop him. They had been planning this for several weeks, after all. It would be a shame to let all that time go to waste. Truth to be told, she was just as curious about what had happened as they were, but she did not want anyone to get hurt by finding out. Maybe it would be easier to move on, if they knew the whole truth.

"Well…" Squall muttered. "Now you know."

He headed back to his room and none of the spoke again that evening.

* * *

Cloud could not remember the last time he had to permanently say goodbye to someone. He was almost fourteen, and he had never experienced such a thing. He had never had to move and leave all his friends behind or that they had moved away from him. He had always lived in the same place and been surrounded by the same people, so saying goodbye to Certhe had been difficult. What should one say to someone you were leaving and would never see again? He had not handled it very well, had stumbled over his own words and had not been able to say anything of meaning. Certhe had said nothing about his miserable attempt at a farewell and had simply hugged him and said that she would miss him. If only he had thought of that.

Sephiroth had waited until the cut on his arm had healed before they left. How this whole world traveling worked Cloud did not know, as he had been unconscious the first time. What did it feel like? He couldn't imagine.

They stood in Certhe's backyard. It was very familiar to him now because of all the training he had endured here. He was not sure of how good people would consider him to be with the sword, but at least Sephiroth seemed to be happy with the progress he had made.

"Take my hand", Sephiroth instructed and reached out with one gloved hand for Cloud to grab hold of. Cloud did not take the hand, but rather his forearm and held it in a firm grip. How long did something like this take? It couldn't possibly be as bad as flying, but the thought of that he might lose his grip and get stuck between two different worlds was frightening. He closed his eyes just in case.

Cloud had expected Sephiroth to say something. He was not sure what, a count to three maybe, just something to prepare for what was to come. But he was given no warning, instead something happen. He could see no change in the light around him through his closed eyelids, but the sound seemed to disappear and he could not feel the cold air anymore. There was also a strange surge within him; it was on the border of being painful. It only lasted a few seconds, not nearly enough time for him to make any sense of it, and he could once again feel the light breeze against his skin. Only when he felt a light tap on his shoulder did he dare to open his eyes again.

It was unmistakably his hometown, or rather, what remained of it. It had not changed since the last time he saw it, and Cloud began to realize what a terrible mistake he had made in coming there. For some reason he had believed that things would be different, that all the bad things that had happened were all a bad dream. Deep inside him he had known that was not true, but he had still clung to the thought that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong.

"What was this meant to accomplish?" Sephiroth's voice was almost condescending, as if he had known that Cloud's reason for coming to these ruins were utterly pointless.

"I thought that… I don't know…" Cloud mumbled. There was no point to this at all, and that realization had sunk in much deeper than it should have had. Perhaps he could try to find his old house in the midst of all this rubble, but what purpose would that serve?

"Where are we going next?" he finally said, trying not to let his disappointment over the whole thing show. He felt so stupid, and if they went somewhere else, he believed it would lessen the impact of it. Either way, any other place would be better than this one.

"Are you done here?"

Cloud closed his eyes and faced the ground. "Yeah…"

"Then we'll keep going", Sephiroth reached out with his hand again. Cloud looked at it for a few seconds before grabbing the same spot as before. He did not have time to close his eyes this time, but darkness engulfed him anyway.

* * *

The engine emitted a loud humming sound, one that became exceptionally higher in the small interior of Cid's ship, but not enough to make the environment intolerable. The ship had gone through many changes in the last few months. Most of them were attached to the exterior of it, like the two cannons that Cid had made. He had personally tested their explosive power by blowing up large blocks of stone that Leon wasn't sure if he had permission to do so with.

"Are you sure we should leave without tellin' them?" Cid asked, as he prepared the ship for launch.

"Yeah", Leon replied. It was early morning, and Aerith and Yuffie still slept. "We told them we'd be going. They'll know where we are when they wake up."

"Aerith's gonna scold ya", Cid said. "The little kid too."

Leon sighed. True, Aerith would hate him for this, and so would Yuffie. He could outlive it, though; he doubted they would be angry for long.

"Could've left 'em a note or somethin', you know."

"Can we stop talking about this?"

"If you say so", Cid said and pulled a lever, or at least that was what Leon thought it must have been, he had not paid too much attention to the ship's control panel, and the ship took off to the skies with an intense jerk. Leon was certain that the thing moved faster this time, and it all felt a bit too shaky to his liking, but as long as they did not fall out of the sky, things would be fine.

After a few minutes, everything went smoothly, the shaking stopped, and the only thing that was somewhat irritating was the roar of the engine. Leon positioned himself by the window, watching the color changing sky and the bright clouds of dust that they flew by. He saw a few stars in the distance, glowing white spots that seemed to be an eternity away. He wondered whether they really were stars, perhaps they were something else entirely. Maybe this was what worlds looked like when far away. He remembered that Traverse Town had looked like a star before they were close enough, so it was possible. But then, considering the amount of stars, there must be an infinite number of worlds. That thought made him feel very small in comparison.

Leon had dozed off while watching the scenery, which remained the same throughout the journey, and only noticed their arrival when the ship reached the ground with a loud bang as it hit the rocky ground. He glanced out the window. He could see a few houses far off in the distance and from what he could tell, they were in shambles. The sky was bright, but it seemed to be covered in thin white clouds, and the light seemed without warmth.

He swung the gunblade over his shoulder and stepped out of the ship. Cid was already outside, looking over the remnants of what once was their hometown. It took a while for Leon to realize that this was the same hill from which they had escaped those months ago.

"So, the castle, right?" Cid asked, and Leon nodded in reply.

The castle was the only structure that still seemed relatively unchanged in comparison to everything else. Why it of all things had been left alone was a mystery, but whatever the reason, it was the only place that might contain the information they wanted. Leon knew that their ruler, Ansem the Wise, and his apprentices had conducted some sort of research there, and while he did not know exactly what that research was, he was certain that it and the black creatures were linked somehow.

Leon tried to find a suitable spot from which he could climb down to the town, while Cid casually observed him. He already knew the pilot would not come with him, because someone needed to guard the ship, so he did not address the issue. Once he had found a good foothold among the jagged rocks, he cast another glance back up.

"Two hours", he said. "If I'm not back in that time or if things get too dangerous, leave without me."

"Two hours? Gotcha", Cid said, ignoring Leon's comment about things becoming too dangerous. He obviously believed the ship had enough power to resist any attack.

Leon gave the man a final nod before he began his descent. It was not a very long climb, but he still managed to slip and get a few stinging scrapes on his fingers. He made a mental note to buy a pair of gloves when he got back to Traverse Town.

In a matter of seconds, his feet reached cobbled stone ground, and he took off running. He could not waste any time. Those creatures had not appeared yet and the further he could get without fighting them the better. He crisscrossed between the broken remains of buildings, as he tried to remember the path to the castle. It was not easy since everything looked so different and because he, like most regular inhabitants of Radiant Garden, had not visited the castle at many occasions. He could vaguely remember visiting it with his parents for some sort of announcement, but that was it.

Due to this limited knowledge, Leon did not find the front gate of the castle as he had hoped. Instead, he found what seemed to be a backdoor. It was made of metal, and to his annoyance, it did not open as he tried it. He cursed and kicked it in anger, which only resulted in a loud _twang_ and giving him a sore foot, which in turn made him want to kick the door again. He restrained himself however, and figured he should try something else.

He readied his gunblade and pointed it straight at the door. He did not know if his new weapon had enough explosive power to get through it, but it was worth a shot. If it did not work, he just had to find another entrance.

He raised his weapon and struck it downwards, pulling the trigger just as the blade hit the metal surface. A warm amber cloud surrounded him, and while he could not see through it, the satisfying _clunk _he heard was enough to prove that he had been successful.

The red cloud cleared and Leon could now see the passage beyond the door. It was dark, but what had he expected? The whole town destroyed, but the lights in the castle still worked? That was stupid. It did seem to be some sort of tunnel, though.

He entered with caution, his gunblade ready to strike at anything that might lurch out at him from the darkness. He had yet to see any of the strange black creatures, and that made him feel uneasy. They had been everywhere last time. So where were they? It did not make sense that they had just disappeared.

The tunnel split at several points, and did his best to remember exactly every turn was so that he could keep the amount of backtracking to a minimum in case he ran into a dead end. The tunnel was silent and stayed that way until the very end – a slightly bigger open area with a door at the far end. Nothing had attacked him throughout the entire thing, and he could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

At least the lighting was better in this new area. Granted, it still wasn't very good, but at least it felt more like early evening rather than the middle of the night. Perhaps his eyes had adjusted themselves to it.

He went over to the door. He hoped that this one was not locked as well, since he did not want to pull that "exploding door" stunt one more time. The noise it would generate would alarm anything in close proximity. Not that there had been much close by lately, but he did not want to take any unnecessary risks.

Thankfully, his hopes came true, and the door opened. The room beyond it held rows upon rows of file cabinets, and while Leon did not have a clue about what each of them contained, he was certain he had found the right place. It would be chore to through, though. Things would have been so much easier if it all had been in a computer, then he could have just searched for it. Not that he really knew what to search for.

As he walked by the cabinets trying to find one that could have any kind of information that would interest him, he wished he had brought a flashlight with him. If he had known searching would be this dark…

No matter how much he searched, he came up with nothing, as all the cabinets were listed in alphabetic order and Leon barely had a clue of what he was looking for, let alone what letter it started with. In a desperate move, he pulled out a few drawers at random and skimmed through their papers in hope of finding anything that might be of importance.

After what seemed like hour of only finding detailed documents on the Garden's economy and equally useless information, Leon was about to give up, call the whole journey pointless and hoped that Cid had not assumed him dead and flown away. It was in that hopeless moment he spotted the drawer that lay in the corner of the room. At first, he disregarded it as another of the many other drawers he had pulled out and failed to find anything of value in, but then he realized that it lay in a part of the room he had not yet searched. With the last bit of hope he still had, he went over to it.

It was hard to read in the badly lit room and the fact that most of the documents were written by hand did not make it any easier, but Leon could make out that they had something to do with hearts, as the word was repeated at several points. Why were they researching hearts? It did not make any sense. He flipped passed a few papers until he saw a sketch of a creature that had an uncanny resemblance to the ones that had attacked them. Before he was able to examine it any further, though, the lights came on.

Someone was here. Someone who obviously knew this place better than Leon did, and he was sure that, whoever it was would not be satisfied with him poking around in his or her stuff.

He grabbed some of the papers from the drawer, not knowing whether they were important or not, and dashed out of the room. He quickly hid himself in one of the dead ends he had found beforehand, praising the mental map he still had, and waited.

It did not take long before he heard footsteps. He resisted the urge to peek around the corner to look at the newcomer and settled on listening. All he could hear was the sound of boots or some other type of shoe hitting the floor. So this person was human. _Or at least human enough to wear shoes,_ Leon reminded himself. The last few months had been so strange, and he had to count on any possibility. Apart from the footsteps, there were no other sounds. As they came closer, Leon's heart began to beat faster and his body felt tense. He hoped that this person had not heard or seen him and was now more interested in looking for him than doing his or hers original mission. He was prepared to fight, but since he did not know what or how strong this thing was, he would prefer to avoid it. When he heard the door to the cabinet room open and close, he sighed with relief.

It took less than a fraction of a second for him to take his opportunity and run out of the tunnel. The pseudo-map he had in his mind came to good use, even though he took a wrong turn every now and then due to stress. He had also gotten unwanted company. Wherever the creatures had been hiding, they were back now, glowing eyes and everything. While Leon found that they were quite easy to outrun, not to mention that they easily fell to his gunblade, they still managed to cut through the lower parts of his pants and give his ankles a few scratches.

He soon broke out into the bright morning sunlight without even realizing it and continued to speed through the streets back to the ship, if it was still there, of course. That thought was always in the back of his mind. What should he do if he was too late? He had no idea.

It was yet another relief to see the ship on top of the hill. He did not really see the ship, just the blasts from its cannons as they evaporated the creatures into clouds of fine black dust. Leon climbed up as fast as he could, hoping that Cid would not mistake him for the enemy. He managed to get by with no such thing happening and ran the last few feet to the ship's door. He opened it, slipped inside, and closed it as fast as he could, hoping that it was locked after he had done so. The instant the door closed the ship shook, almost making Leon lose his balance, and only seconds later rose into the air.

Once things became remotely steady, Leon sat down and glanced out the window. The ground that they had just left was crawling with creatures, some bigger than any he had seen before, but the rest of the town looked surprisingly calm. The town was so calm he could even see people walking there. Wait, people? He looked back at the spot where he had seen them, but there was nothing there. Maybe it was just his imagination, but one of them had looked familiar.

"Did you find anythin'", Cid asked, effectively shaking Leon back from the most likely imaginary people.

He glanced at the sheets of paper that were still clutched in his hand. They were dirty and torn now, and only about five of them remained. He had escaped in such a hurry that it was a wonder he had not dropped all of them.

"Maybe…" Leon replied. He did not want to know if this whole thing had been pointless, so he did not look. He laid the papers on the seat beside him facedown and tried to think about something else.

"How long did it take?" he finally asked.

"Two and a half, three hours or somethin'."

Leon laughed. He did not mind that Cid had not done as he had said. In fact, he was grateful. He would have been dead otherwise, so why shouldn't he be.

* * *

This is the longest chapter yet. I think they're just becoming longer and longer, I don't why that is. I'm not doing it on purpose. By the way, after this I have only a vague idea of what happens next, so I don't know how long it'll take to finish. I don't think I'll ever write a story I don't the ending to again, it's becoming very problematic.


	6. Chapter VI

**AN: **Look, plot! No, seriously this is the only time in this story I've felt like there's any kind of plot really. Before I just had a whole bunch of events that didn't go anywhere. Anyway this chapter took way too long finish and it's just half the size of chapter 5. Odd. Well, the reason for this has been many. I fell ill a lot (twice), I've been writing other stuff, realized that "Birth by Sleep" will totally destroy this story's continuity (so it's AU now, I guess...) and so on. That my excuses, I don't think they're very good. Sorry.

* * *

**Chapter VI**

It was raining again. It was always raining here – Cloud hated it.

He could not understand Sephiroth's reason for taking him to such a depressing place. It was not just the weather either; it was the people too. They were distant an unfriendly. Many of them had fallen ill due to a common, supposedly incurable disease, and while Sephiroth had assured that the blond would not become one of its victims, it was still unpleasant. The fact that everyone wore hoods to hide their faces and that the sun never rose also did nothing to decrease that level of unpleasantness. On top of that, Cloud believed that Sephiroth might be wrong; the disease did affect him. Unless, of course, hallucinations was not part of the symptoms.

Yes, he was hallucinating. It was always the same thing, and it always disappeared before he could give it a second glance. Due to this, he wanted to convince himself that it was not really there. Sephiroth had shared this viewpoint with him when Cloud had mentioned it, stating that it must only be his imagination and had never brought it up again. The blond had not touched the subject again either, but that did not mean it did not worry him. He could not do anything about it either, so he would only have to hope for the best for the time being.

Rain tapped against the fabric of him hood. Sephiroth had advised him to wear one just like the other townspeople to "blend in". Cloud had not minded since it protected him from the rain, but it was not particularly waterproof and soon enough the falling water had seeped through the fabric and the hair beneath it became damp and cold.

Cloud tried to remember the reason why he had willingly agreed to walk out in the rain, but his answers had very little substance. Sephiroth could just as well have done this. But no, in a vain attempt at trying to do something himself Cloud had done exactly as the man had told him. Sephiroth apparently trusted him in doing things like buying groceries, and the blond had foolishly agreed to do that. Now he knew how stupid he had been and that he would not be able to prove himself useful in the slightest, as it was something Sephiroth already believed he could accomplish.

He passed a group of hooded people engaged in a conversation. They kept their voices low and Cloud could not make out what they said, so he ignored them. Thankfully, the task was finished now and he was heading back. The experience was not something he wished to relive, the marketplace had been eerie and there had not been a single person that to Cloud looked reliable, something that was especially true with the various vendors and their wares. He had not been able to identify any of the strange things for sale and had been too frightened to ask, so whether any of the things he had bought was edible was questionable. Still, he had done what was asked of him, although it would still partly be his fault if he went hungry tonight.

Drops of water hit his nose, and he looked up at the sky, covered completely with dark rainclouds, and uttered a distressed groan. He really hated this place. The stupid rain, the stupid people, that stupid hallucination. He kicked a nearby puddle and a cascade of water showered in front of him and onto his boots. This whole place was stupid.

He stared at his water soaked shoes for a moment before realizing it did no good and looked straight ahead again. There she was. Far off in the distance standing in a fog-filled alleyway stood the spectral image of a woman that he had seen ever since he had come to this place. She was easily recognizable because she was so different. She did not wear a hooded cloak and her dark hair hung around her face seemingly unaffected by the wind and rain. She stared straight at him, her lips mouthing a few unheard words. Cloud blinked and she was gone.

He shook his head. He hated this place.

* * *

Aerith had been furious when they returned. Cid had been right about the scolding part, Leon had never seen her so angry. She had yelled at him about irresponsibility and lying to them in way Leon had believed her to be incapable of, but after she had calmed down, she had told them, her face still a bit red from the anger, that she was glad that they were alive.

As far as the documents he had picked up in Radiant Garden was concerned he had not given them a lot of thought. He had given them a quick glance before stuffing them in a drawer in hopes that everyone else would forget about them. His reasoning behind this appeared illogical even to him, and after keeping them hidden for about a week Aerith had torn them out of their hiding place, shoved him in his face and yelled at him some more. They would have a thorough discussion about it.

So here he was, sitting by their supposed dinner table together with the torn and dirty sheets of paper in the middle, expecting the utter disappointment of finding nothing of value. He feared that it all had been meaningless. They could not get any more information now, at least not from Radiant Garden. Whoever the visitor had been he or she must have noticed that someone else had been there. It was no longer safe to return there. Not that it had been the first time, but now it was certain.

Aerith delicately picked up the paper on top of the pile, holding it lightly between her thumb and index finger, as if she was afraid it would crumble to dust if she held it any harder. She set it down in front of herself and carefully brushed away the thin layer of dry dirt that still remained on it.

"So, what does it say?" Cid asked as Aerith's eyes scanned the top of the page. The girl answered him with disgruntled "hmm" and did avert her gaze, her lips drawn in a thin line. Leon felt as though his fears were coming true. It really was worthless after all.

"That's an 'h'", Yuffie said ecstatically and pointed at a part further down on the paper. _One letter isn't very helpful, Yuffie_, Leon thought, but stayed quiet.

Aerith did not seem to have listened to the little girl, but she shook her head and looked back up at them. "It's some sort of research, but I don't know about what. It's handwritten so it's hard to make out, most of it is blurred."

"Let me see", Leon yanked the paper out of the girl's hand before she was able to comply. He examined the blurry lines of ink without understanding more than she did. He had known this stuff was worthless.

"That's an 'h'", Yuffie said encouragingly and pointed at the same spot as before. She must have left her spot by Aerith's side and snuck up behind him.

"I know Yuffie", Leon sighed and laid the paper back down on the table. It was his fault this was unreadable, wasn't it? "It doesn't help us."

Yuffie got a thoughtful look on her face, and she kept it that way for a few seconds before she looked up at him. "Can I have it?"

"What do you need it for?" was Leon's immediate response. The request seemed odd. What would a seven-year-old girl need a torn document with illegible scribbles for?

"You don't need it", Yuffie said. "So, can I have it?"

"I…" Leon began. She did have a point. Kind of.

"Just give it to her", Aerith said. Another of the documents lay in front of her. "You can actually read this one. Besides, she's right, you don't need it."

"Fine", Leon sighed and handed the piece of paper over to the little girl. "Knock yourself out." He added with a bit of sarcasm.

Yuffie delightfully took it and ran back to her room. What she had seen in that paper Leon would never know.

* * *

Cloud was much harder to control than he had expected. While the boy fell for manipulation quite easily, he was not stupid. Sephiroth would have to be careful if he did not want him to find out exactly what was going on. This made progress slow, infuriatingly so, but lessened the likelihood of anything going awry.

On a positive note, the bond was strengthening, Cloud's thoughts were much clearer now. Sephiroth was perfectly aware of the blond's distaste for the town, and the fact that he would not let go of those "hallucinations" he had.

Sephiroth knew exactly why Cloud saw her, but could not actually tell him the reason. He could not have the boy being suspicious of him, or at least more so than he already was. All he could do was bide his time and hope that the bond would soon be strong enough for him to block her out. That Cloud only saw a spectral vision was good, that meant she had trouble making contact. In any case, as long as she did not manage to talk to him, things would still move along smoothly.

He had seen her again today, just a few minutes ago. It had only been for a brief moment and no real contact had been made, but for every time it happened it troubled him. He did not want any more broken bonds, and she would do all in her power to destroy what he had already attained.

Cloud's arrival did not surprise him, the boy's actions never did anymore, and he to stifle a laugh when the blond found it creepy that he always knew when he did something.

Cloud dumped the bag containing the rough approximation of food he had gotten from the market, Sephiroth could not say that he was particularly fond of the blond's choices but did not fault the boy for not knowing, before he threw the wet cloak onto the floor and gave it a disgusted look. Yes, yet another thing Cloud hated, he did not appreciate a single thing about this place.

"I got your… stuff", Cloud gestured lazily towards the bag on the floor. He had gotten a bit of an attitude lately, probably contributed by his distaste for their current location. Sephiroth could not say that he was fond of it. The blond swiped the piece clothing that he had previously thrown to the floor, walked past him without a glance and slammed the door behind him. This too, was part of the boy's new attitude; no wonder progress was so slow. Cloud would not come out again, not in long time, Sephiroth was sure of that. This would hinder progress even further, but otherwise it did not really bother him. He would spend this night, like so many others, spying on the blond's thoughts and dreams.

* * *

Cloud rolled over on his bed. It was a nice bed, or at least nice considering the circumstances. The mattress was not moldy and the fabrics were fairly clean, so it was nice.

He reached out for the lamp on the bedside table and flipped the switch to turn it off. Immediately the yellow light disappeared and the room was left in darkness. There was no point really, waiting for the next day seemed like a good thing.

He had tried sneaking out several times before, once to sneak by on the bottom floor and another by climbing out through the window. Sephiroth had caught him both of those times. The man always seemed to know where he was, so Cloud stopped trying. He did not really want to go out in the rain anyway. He did, however, have a nagging feeling that Sephiroth was hiding something from him and whatever it was made it the reason to why he could not go outside whenever he wanted. It probably had something to do with the hallucinations. What was there outside that was so dangerous that he should know about it?

Curiosity rose within him, and while Cloud knew the chances of him actually escaping was next to none, his desire to do so had increased significantly.

He glanced at his bedroom window. The darkness in the room was not complete and he could still see raindrops on the glass, not to mention that he heard them when they tapped outside. The weather was just as unpleasant as the last time he paid attention to it, but he knew from experience that it would not get any better.

He pushed himself up from the bed and walked over to the window. Between the rapidly falling water, he could see some streetlights, but apart from the small area that they lit up little else of the town could be seen. It was all very unfriendly, but such a thing would not stop him. He had to figure out what was going on, he did not care if Sephiroth refused to tell him about it. The answer was out there somewhere; it had to be.

Cloud slid the frame of the window upward to open it and the cold, moist air immediately hit his face. He bent over the windowsill to look at the ground below. He was on the second floor so there was quite a long way down, but Cloud had done it before, even if Sephiroth had caught him right afterwards.

He tucked his head back into his room and grabbed the hooded cloak that he had carelessly thrown onto a chair by the end of the bed when he had first entered it. It was still a bit wet and although Cloud hated it, he needed it now. As protection from the rain if anything. He briefly thought of bringing his sword too, but it was downstairs and he would not be able to take it without Sephiroth noticing him. It would also be quite cumbersome to carry with him if he was to climb out the window. He would be unprotected, but he had to sacrifice that. Besides, he might not even be able to get very far. Without the sword he could run faster, which gave him a better chance of Sephiroth not noticing him; if he was fast enough the man might not even noticed that he was gone.

He put the cloak on, leaving the hood down for now so that it would not get in the way, and went back to the window. He hauled himself up on the windowsill and swung his legs out into the night air. There was a small ledge just a few feet below him that Cloud had used last time, so it would suffice now as well. He flipped over and placed his feet on the ledge while making sure he had a steady grip on the windowsill. Once he felt as if he was in a relatively secure position, he slowly let go of it with his left hand so that he could slid his foot down to the frame of the window below easier. Once he was in a somewhat steady position there he could jump down, which he did.

A painful shockwave went through his legs as he hit the ground, but the pain quickly ebbed and Cloud looked around in the darkness. He had expected Sephiroth to be there, but he wasn't. It was strangely thrilling to him that he had been able to fool the other, so he threw the hood over his head and quickly dashed off into an alleyway to take advantage of this small victory.

Within the alley, things seemed much darker than normal. Cloud had figured that he would be used to the darkness by now, seeing as it was constant, but now everything seemed to be covered in a thick blanket that blocked out all light. Only the occasional streetlight he had passed spread orbs of light around the area in which they stood.

Cloud felt uneasy in the compact darkness. Who knew what could be lurking within it. Once again, he regretted his foolish decision. He wanted to smack himself in the face for never learning. He had now put himself in needless danger. For what? The probability of him actually finding out about all the weird things that had happened lately was very small. He would not be able to prove anything with this.

As he debated whether he should go back and apologize to Sephiroth for running away or go through with his stupid plan of looking for information, he thought he heard something. He could not be sure though, with the rain beating against everything around him. He looked around, but saw nothing. His mind seemed to have a habit of playing tricks on him lately. He sighed with relief, but as he did he saw a gloved hand sweep over across his field of vision to cover his mouth and another grabbed him and pushed him quite harshly against the wall of the building he had been standing next to.

"Sshh", the person who held him said. Cloud looked up and instantly saw a woman's dark eyes. They were surrounded by two rings of coal black eyelashes, which Cloud could only see because she was standing so close to him. The structure of her face was undeniably feminine and although she wore a hood just like he did, he could see strands of black or dark brown hair fall across her face.

"Don't be scared", she said calmly. "I'm not gonna hurt you, but you need to be quiet."

Cloud struggled a bit, hoping that she would understand it was hard not to be scared when he could not move, but her grip did not loosen.

"I'll let you go if you're quiet", she spoke and Cloud tried to make his best nod he could while was still stuck in her grip. She appeared to catch on and slowly removed her hand from his mouth and released him.

Cloud took a moment to suck in breath and reflect over who stood before him. It was his hallucination, the woman in with the dark hair, who did so with a content smile on her face. She was solid, looked solid at least, and not transparent or blurry in the slightest, every detail much clearer than before.

"Are… are you real?" he finally stuttered, because this was impossible. She could not be real, if she was that meant Sephiroth was wrong all along and it was not his imagination, unless of course this was what the man had hidden from him. Cloud looked at her again; she looked like a normal citizen of this town, wearing a long hooded cloak instead of that odd clothing she had worn the last time he saw her. There was no mistake, though – it was definitely her.

She smiled. "Of course I'm real. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I… saw you", Cloud tried. She could not deny everything that had happen here, could she? "You looked… different."

Her mouth formed a small "oh" before she smiled again. "I've been trying to contact you for a while, Cloud…"

Cloud shuddered at the sound of his name on her lips. How did she know it? He had never told her. Come to think of it, he had never told Sephiroth either, but he knew it too. Thing were getting very strange here.

"… but I've been unable…"

"Who are you?" Cloud interrupted. Right now, he did not care about the things that she had to say. "How do you know my name?"

At his words, the woman's face turned serious. She placed a hand on his shoulder and met his eyes.

"My name is Tifa, and we need to talk."

* * *

_Cliffhanger, I guess. Well, sort of. I don't do that very often. This chapter was supposed to go on even longer but in the end I cutting it off like this felt more natural. At least I know what happens in the next one now._


End file.
